Jack Rowand/The CWFelicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is one tough cookie.
Though she started off as Oliver's (Stephen Amell) shy, socially akward admirer on Arrow, I.T. wiz Felicty has quickly turned into an essential (and quippy!) member of Team Arrow, alongside Ollie's right-hand man Diggle (David Ramsey). Sure, the crush is still present, but she's become more confident and willing to stand up to Oliver, which has made us love her even more. But could her role, and Oliver and Felicity's relationship, change in the CW hit's upcoming episodes?
We chatted with last season's biggest breakout star about the team's newest member who causes , Felicity and Oliver's changing relationship, spending time with the Black Canary (Caity Lotz) and the misfortune of working with some of TV's hottest actors...
Perks of the Job: Poor, poor Rickards, being forced to watch Amell and Ramsey work out, often shirtless, for the sake of the show. Let's canonize her now, shall we?!
"The only time I ever got distracted was recently and it was because I was really tired and Stephen was just hanging out, no shirt, and they were spraying him down," she tells us. "I don't know if I was just at one of those points where you just stare right through things, but I realized I was staring right at his abs and I was probably for two minutes. I was like, ‘Ah, I hope nobody saw that!' and I looked up and Lea the makeup artist was laughing. I was like, ‘Oh no!' [Laughs.]"
And she doesn't even try to be stealthy (or use tiredness as a scapegoat) when it comes to Ramsey's arms. "Oh my God, Ramsey's arms. I've voiced that. That's like a known fact. I go up and hug him and put my face into his arms on a regular basis!"
The Trio Becomes a Quartet: As Amell previously told us, someone new (and unexpected) will be learning Oliver's secret, joining the Arrow team. "I would really enjoy it, but I think it'll create a little bit turmoil at first, adding a new person to a group," Rickards says. "I am really excited to add this character to the group and have that character learn that secret because it'll be a really interesting dynamic and it'll be really fun for me."
Also fun for Rickards? Felicity sharing some screen time with the Black Canary. "We don't get to see them interact a whole lot, but they do get to share a scene that everyone can look forward to," she previews.
Hope for Olicity: Fans rooting for the hero and the I.T. girl to hook up should prepare to see a shift in their dynamic, as Rickards teases, We definitely start to see [the relationship] change. We're on episode 10 right now and they were growing as friends and then Felicity has this sort of crush, and she's still got this crush, but she's become such an important part of the trio and such an equal. I think that gives her the room and the ground to have more say in things." Which means she will butt heads with Oliver, similar to the scene in which Felicity stood up to the well-abbed one on Diggle's behalf in episode three. "Confrontation is not her jam, but we do get to that side of her appear again. I think it's a lot of built up frustration and constantly hitting a wall with Oliver."
Arrow airs tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW.