Katrina Law Chats Arrow Season 4, New Suspense Thriller Pilot

Nyssa has consistently been one of the most intriguing characters on Arrow, and that is in no small part due to Katrina Law, the actress behind the role. Law is no stranger to genre TV, having appeared as Mira on both Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Spartacus: Vengeance, as well as Legend of the Seeker. She will continue to appear on Arrow season 4. Here’s what Law had to tell us about what to expect from Nyssa in the rest of season 4 and what other projects she’s been working on.

Nyssa’s interaction with Team Arrow will continue.

Nyssa is such a compelling character to see interact with Team Arrow because she can play the straight man to just about anyone on the team — including Oliver, who is generally the most broody of the bunch. Will we get to see her hanging with Team Arrow much in upcoming season 4 episodes?

Of course! Law teased of the Nyssa/Laurel dynamic (which was such a delightful change-of-pace in the last episodes of season 3) that “we will see Laurel and Nyssa together again with their little budding friendship.”

What will their dynamic look like in season 4? Law elaborated: “As far as characters go, we left off and they were on good terms … and on the same side, so it will be interesting to see where they go with the two characters this season and how they progress and they still continue to help each other grow.” That sounds potentially antagonistic. Could these two end up on different sides of an argument — potentially in relation to the recently returned Sara? We will have to wait and see…

As for other Team Arrow members, Law said: “I’m pretty sure you’re going to see some good interactions between Nyssa and Oliver. I think the two of them butting heads is too good not to go there, at least once or twice.”

Which other character would Law most like to see Nyssa interacting with? That would be Felicity Smoak — everyone’s favorite snarky computer genius. Law said: “I would love for Nyssa to have more scenes with Felicity. I think Nyssa has a thing for blondes. I know the fans would love to see more of that, and I would as well. Emily Bett Rickards is just a joy, so to get to work with her in a fully fleshed out scene would be a lot of fun.”

What’s next for Nyssa?

Though Law couldn’t give us details about where Nyssa might end up this season, she could give us her thoughts on what she wants for the character: “At this point, I would love for her to be given her rightful title as R’as al Ghul, and for her to succeed as the most successful R’as al Ghul in the League history. And then for her to find a way to find love again. At this point, she doesn’t know Sara’s coming back, so if she could find love again, that would be great.” Um, those are all excellent goals. I am officially on the Nyssa For R’as campaign team.

What’s next for Law?

Law has a few other exciting projects underway. Over the summer, she filmed a pilot for ABC Family (or should we say Freeform?) co-starring Billy Zane. Guilt is very loosely based on the Amanda Knox story. Law explains the premise…

“I play a character — Natalie, who is a lawyer in Boston — and she finds out fairly quickly that her sister, who has gone off to London for college, is in trouble. And her sister calls her and says, ‘Please come get me. My roommate has been murdered.’ My character immediately without second thought jumps on a plane and goes over to London to go get her sister and bring her home. But then, when she gets to London, she finds out her sister, Grace, is in a lot more trouble than she originally imagined. And then, by the end, has decided to stay in London and make sure her sister comes home safe.”

(Photo credit: Photographer — Evan Duning, Hair — Ashley Lynn Hall, Make up — Gia Harris.)

Sounds difficult to sustain, but very exciting — and with a great cast. The pilot was filmed in London and Budapest, which could give it a cool look. And Law describes it as a “mystery whodunnit-type of thriller.” We’ll have to wait to see if Freeform picks it up, but it could represent an interesting new direction for the network that tends to skew younger when it comes to its programming.

Law also has an independent film coming out called Death Valley. The movie was directed by P.J. Scott, who you might recognize from his work on Spartacus, Orphan Black, and Gotham. The cast is also full of familiar faces: Victoria Pratt (Xena), Lochlyn Munro (Arrow), and Nick Tarabay (Captain Boomerang on Arrow). It will be released October 20th.

And mark your calendars for Hallmark Christmas movie season, people! Law just finished wrapping 12 Gifts of Christmas. If you haven’t seen Law’s previous Hallmark Christmas movie, Snow Bride, you should check it out. If you’re not that into Hallmark Christmas movies (or even if you are), try my movie-watching method: pretending Law’s character is actually Nyssa on the run from The League. It gives Snow Bride a whole new layer.