"Can I just tell you how excited I am?"
It's been a long journey for Katie Cassidy to don the Black Canary suit on Arrow, which she will finally do in tonight's midseason premiere after a three-year wait. "I was definitely disappointed, because it was something that I was really looking forward to," Cassidy says of learning it would take Laurel a bit of time to become the Black Canary.
But she also totally agreed with the reason why the producers have held off. "I think it makes complete sense. You can't just overnight become a superhero. It took Oliver five years on the Island and everything he went through."
But now, after hitting "rock bottom" in season two and the death of her sister Sara (Caity Lotz), the Canary, Laurel is ready to take over the responsibilities that come with the black leather jacket. Except she'll be doing it with a new costume, which was unveiled back in November, prompting a fandom freakout.
Cassidy, who has her own fashion blog, Tomboy KC, tells E! News how she helped to create the Black Canary's look.
"It was so cool. I love the creative process. Not just being an actor and here is the dialogue and saying the lines," Cassidy says of working with the wardrobe department. "I like collaborating with people and having an opinion and getting to put my touch on it. So when it came to the costume, I suggested a couple of things. I give credit to our insanely talented hair (Paul Edward) makeup, (Danielle Fowler) and wardrobe (Maya Mani) team for creating the look. I just made a few suggestions."
Some of her tweaks? Some lace and fishnet ("Because the Black Canary wore fishnets," Cassidy explains) fabric added throughout the costume, including the bodysuit underneath the jacket and the fingerless gloves.
"So it's a bit more feminine, because the suit itself it's sexy, but it is a bit modern. And I love it. That's what I wanted," she tells us. "So I was like, Let's see where we can put a little bit of feminine touches. Because it's a very strong suit, how can we make this a little bit more feminine?"
And Cassidy reveals she was even more involved when it came to the Black Canary's hair and make-up. Arrow tested out five looks, the first of which "they let me do whatever I wanted.
I wanted a dark red lip and dark red nail color. I like the fact that it's dark; I also think it's more feminine. And I want the nail to match the lip," she says, adding that she asked them not to black out her eyes, which almost all of the other heroes on the show do.
As for Laurel's sleeker, platinum blonde wig, Cassidy explains, "I begged them, ‘Please don't make me wear a curly blonde wig.' Because the Canary had that and I just wanted Laurel to be more sharp and modern. Sexy, but smart. Just strong."
And while the producers originally didn't go for her preferred look, Cassidy says, "We went in and pled our case, and were like, ‘Look, it's a masculine outfit. This face and hair make it a bit more feminine.' It's pretty, I thought it looked the best. So Marc [Guggenheim], Andrew [Kreisberg] and Greg [Berlanti] decided to go with it, which was great."
As for the other essential part of the Black Canary's overall look, the infamous "Canary Cry," Cassidy teases Laurel definitely has one, but "what form it comes out in, I'm not going to say."
Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW.