GATV Interview: Echo Kellum Previews Arrow Season 5’s “Wild Ride” GATV Interview: Echo Kellum Previews Arrow Season 5’s “Wild Ride”
Interview with Arrow's "Curtis Holt" Echo Kellum about the upcoming fifth season of the show, Mr. Terrific, the crossover, and more. GATV Interview: Echo Kellum Previews Arrow Season 5’s “Wild Ride”

terrificWe’ve seen some pictures of the traditional costume. What was it like to put on the costume for the first time, and what does “Fair Play” mean to Curtis?

That’s definitely something we delve into in one of the earlier episodes. I don’t want to give up any spoilers in terms of the “Fair Play” aspect, but it means a ton for him to get to suit up… for me as an actor, and for him as a character, he wants to clean up these streets, and for me, to be a superhero is such a phenomenal, cool thing to get to do… to suit up and actually try the outfit on, and to just represent it…. it’s such a cool feeling, and I’m just so thankful I get to do that.

terrificWill he actually call himself Mr. Terrific?

Yeah!

How excited are you for the crossover, and what have you done so far that you’re allowed to talk about?

I’ve definitely shot some scenes… they just announced the villain that’s coming out, the Dominators… and the fact that you have this amazing formed Justice League in a sense with Arrow, Flash, Atom, and Supergirl going all out against these aliens, it’s just like a comic book nerd dream come true, and I’m so excited to be in any way a part of the story. It’s been so great, and so much fun to be a part of. I think people are going to be blown away by this crossover.

Is there a character or actor from one of the other series that you were really looking forward to working with?

There have been so many of those characters or actors that I’ve watched for so long. I’ve gone on record saying that the person I was most looking forward to working with is Carlos who plays Cisco.

What does Curtis’ husband think of what he’s getting himself into, or does he know?

He definitely knows something’s up! When you come home with a bruise every night, you’ll think they’re in a fight club or something, or some crazy stuff’s going on. I think it’s going to be a thing where he has to deal with the reality of what’s happening, but I think that they’re a strong enough couple to get through it. There will be ups and downs, and whether he knows or he doesn’t know, he knows there’s something different. Whatever the situation is, your partner being away is going to be an issue, and that’s something we’ll delve into, but their love is strong enough to endure.

ar417a_0279bWhat does Curtis make of Oliver’s new, darker tactics in crimefighting?

I think Curtis would prefer not killing people, but I think that in today’s world, it can be dangerous and it might not be how he goes about it, but he understands that Oliver’s the leader and that his heart is really in the right place, so I think that he trusts him to make his own decisions about what to do with that.

Arrow RecruitsWhat can you say about the other new recruits? Do they and Curtis get along?

I think they have a great relationship. It’s not always peaches and cream, but I think they all have the same goal in mind, which is to clean up the streets of Star City, and I think that they just co-exist as a unit, and they train together, and I think they gel with each other.

The team has such a great group dynamic.

What was it like to work with James Bamford as director of the first two episodes of Season 5?

Bam-Bam! He’s my favorite to work with. He’s such an integral part of the show; he’s been a part of the show since the beginning. He knows these characters extremely well. He gets how to work with actors, but he also has these wonderful, cool ideas. He’s such a phenomenal director that it makes it very easy. I know all of us have such a high level of admiration for him, because he always comes in, does his homework, knows everything he wants, and really lets you play, gives you more to play with, gives you more ideas what to play with these characters, and is very heads-on. He makes it all really awesome.

Is there any chance we’ll be seeing a Curtis flashback episode?

I definitely think that’s a possibility. Wendy Mericle mentioned that a couple months ago, talking about next season. The flashbacks of Oliver will end this season, but we’ll probably see other characters, and Curtis could be a character where that could happen. I don’t think we could rule that out for this season, either.

What excites you the most about Arrow Season 5?

Man! For me, personally, I’m different from Curtis. I think sometimes a hero has to kill people if they’re really bad, and seeing Oliver getting back to that point of “we have to decide” and you have to deal with that morality, I think is a really fun place to play with for a hero. I’ve always been personally more drawn to anti-heroes, so it is really up my alley, and I love the things we’re doing, and where we’re taking it. I think it’s going to be one of the best seasons of the show.

Do you have anything else to say to the fans who will be reading this?

Get ready, buckle your seat belts… it’s going to be a real wild ride! Your mind’s going to be blown. Some of these episodes are like “holy crap, did we really just do that?” It’s all in the best in the way, and I can’t wait for people to see it.

Arrow Season 5 premieres tonight (October 5) at 8PM ET/PT on The CW. You can find some preview images from the season premiere here.

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Craig Byrne

Craig Byrne has been writing about TV on the internet since 1995. He is also the author of several published books, including Smallville: The Visual Guide and the show's Official Companions for Seasons 4-7.