Emily Bett Rickards interview: Arrow season 3, The Flash, Felicity

Originally intended to be a one-episode guest star in Arrow’s first season, Felicity Smoak has since become a fan-favourite character embroiled in the series’ most obsessed over relationship. Season two saw her develop as more people were initiated into Team Arrow, and we spoke to Emily Bett Rickards about Felicity’s journey this year, The Flash and what might be to come in season three.

How have you felt about Felicity’s journey this season?

I felt like she became a very strong individual throughout, and I think she’s still learning about herself. She’s grown up a lot in the past season. I think she decided to make decisions herself and not for other people and also applauded herself for that. Because it’s the applause; it’s giving yourself the promotion that’s the best learning experience. So I think that’s what she did.

At the end of the season Team Arrow was back to Diggle, Felicity and Oliver – will it stay that way?

Roy’s in there too I think, and I think Roy’s in there for a good reason…

Will it be a quartet then, or is someone else coming in for season three?

I don’t know – I honestly don’t know that much about season three. This is what I can tell you – Felicity will have some backstory, because I was promised so hopefully those promises come through, and since we’re such a big ensemble show I think we’re going to get more of Thea’s story. Because season one was about Oliver being the vigilante and then season two was about him deciding to be The Arrow, so in season three we kind of have this beautiful orchestra of actors that need to expand and get their stories told.

Can you tease anything about that?

Well I’m hoping we’ll meet one of her parents or a family member. They teased it last season and we were going to but there wasn’t enough time – there’s not. I think we have a whole new season to explore so hopefully there’ll be time this year. It’s all about time really, because we only have 23 episodes [laughs], to explore all the characters.

As you probably know, the Oliver/Felicity relationship is a huge thing for fans, who’ve really latched onto it, do you enjoy having that reaction?

I do – I mean, we’re there to affect, right? So I think I like sparking, it’s fun, and I want people to get caught up in the story. That’s what we’re there for, so I want you to escape and I want you to feel like the characters are your friends because I feel like they’re mine. So I find that exciting.

How do you think that might evolve next year?

Olicity? (Laughs) I’m talking like it’s a person. No one’s ever been able to answer this question – what’s safer? To stay friends with your best friend or potentially make a move? Nobody knows.

There were a lot of passionate responses to those scenes in the finale, what would you say to fans who were a little bit upset?

I’m sorry… I mean like I said earlier, we’re just there to affect you so we’re really glad we did. We’re just really glad you felt something – I don’t care what [laughs]. It’s like when you watch a movie and you really hate a character, an evil character or something, you’re supposed to hate that character. It’s kind of like that – we want that feeling that you’re feeling, whatever you’re feeling is right. That’s one of the greatest things about reading or watching a show or a movie. You’re feelings are right no matter what, and it gives you that privilege.

Felicity even had a female friend in Sara this year…

I found a friend in Caity [Lotz] – she’s such a good person.

Do you know if she’ll be back next year?

Yeah, I think she will be. I hope so. Well, she’s not dead so I hope she’ll be back. I don’t know if I can guarantee but I haven’t heard that she’s not coming back.

Do you think that will become a reason for Felicity to get some more fight training?

Yeah it might be. I do think that Oliver and Diggle train her, we just don’t see it. Because they wouldn’t let her not be trained, it’d be irresponsible in that sense. So I think she’s learning self-defence but we just might not see it on camera. But, yeah, it’d be nice to do more.

Will she have more interaction with Laurel or Thea?

I love working with the other women on our show, but I don’t get to work with them a whole lot. Working with Katie Cassidy was fun for a split second, because I don’t get to do that a lot, but it’s always nice to work with new people. I’ve never worked with Willa [Holland] even though we’re friends.

Can you tease anything about The Flash?

I don’t know anything about The Flash. I’m so sorry [laughs]. He wakes up – there you go! Surprise! I think Felicity will show up in the show eventually. I think that’s to be expected, well, I hope. It’s been chatted about a little bit but nothing’s been promised. That’d be really fun for me. The cast is great – I worked with Danielle [Panabaker] and Carlos [Valdes], and I obviously worked with Grant [Gustin]…

Obviously Felicity and Barry had a relationship…

We never kissed though! Last time Felicity talked about him she found out from Cisco that he’s had another woman visiting him, so it’s sort of like – ‘Oh! Was I… And you’re still in a coma and I’m saving the world over here, so it’s not like I forgot about you, I’m just trying to save about a million lives…’

Would you like to be more involved in the superhero side of things?

Yeah, I would like to train a little bit more, and I do like that stuff, but I just want to see Felicity sitting on her couch in her apartment. Making a cake or something – that’s what I want her to do. I like the boring shit like seeing her taking off her earrings. We always see Felicity done. She never has her shoes off and we never really see her walk anywhere. She’s always on a mission. When she’s walking she’s trying to be kidnapped – like we all do, am I right ladies?

What are your hopes for Felicity next year?

I don’t really have that many hopes, I’m just curious to see who she becomes in the third season. Because she changed so much in the first season, she changed so much in the second season and I don’t think she’s done changing. I don’t think she’s fully grown up yet. She’s still figuring out who she is, and in a very mature and adult way – she’s very conscious about it. She’s making the decisions to change, and that’s commendable.

Arrow comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK on Monday the 22nd of September.

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