Meeting Katie Cassidy at Heroes Dutch Comic Con 2018

Warning: This article may contain spoilers for "Arrow". Most of these will be announced with a spoiler alert...

Last April, Carola and I went to Heroes Dutch Comic Con in Utrecht. This event had the first edition in 2015 and we were there. We went to every edition since. I remember that Caity Lotz ("Arrow", Legends of Tomorrow") was announced as a guest (unfortunately she had to cancel). Because of this Carola and I started watching "Arrow" and I absolutely loved it. In 2016 we went to ArcCon in Brussels. This event (organized by KLZ Events) was focused on "Arrow" and "The Flash". Katie Cassidy was announced as a guest and we were very happy with that, but not long before the event Katie had to cancel. Despite this we had an amazing time at ArcCon, but we had a lot of bad luck with the cancellations of both of the Lance-sisters in 2015/2016. A few weeks before Heroes Dutch Comic Con, I was browsing my social media channels and there it was: a video from Katie Cassidy stating that she would make her way to Utrecht for HDCC. I was very happy and sent Carola a message. But in the meantime, the video disappeared and at that moment I swear I thought we were cursed. We were not meant to be meeting Katie Cassidy. Luckily, a few days later, the video reappeared and it was true: Katie Cassidy known for her role as Laurel Lance/Black Canary/Black Siren in the “Arrowverse” (to be more exact "Arrow", "The Flash", "Legends of Tomorrow").

At Sunday April 1st, Carola and I made our way to Utrecht and we were psyched. The guestlist for HDCC was great and better yet: no cancellations! The downside to this is that there are a lot of things to do and buy. Since there is no money tree in my garden, I had to make choices. Unfortunately, Katie's photo op was at the same time as Dwight Schultz' Q&A and there was a huge queue at Katie's autograph table, so I made peace with the fact that I would only be able to see Katie's Q&A. So, let's talk about that...

Since I'm a big fan of "Arrow", it was great to finally see and hear one of the main characters of the show talking about it. Katie seemed very relaxed on stage and was willing to answer (almost) all the questions that came her way. I already put a compilation video of the Q&A online and you can watch it below...

I can imagine, you might not be able to watch the video right now. No stress! I will put some of the things she talked about in writing, but I do recommend watching the video...

- If Katie Cassidy could be any other character in the DC Universe, she would like to be Superman. She would love to be able to fly and this would mean she could avoid airports and aviation travel. Although she would also love to be a villain, like Penguin. The Penguin from "Gotham" to be more exact.

- SPOILER ALERT SEASON 6: When she was asked if she thinks Sara Lance and Earth-2 Laurel would ever meet, she answered that she actually mentioned this to the show runner Mark Guggenheim. When she was doing research into the backstory of Earth-2 Laurel/Black Siren she asked him if there was a chance Earth-2 Laurel would meet Sara and/or Earth-1 Laurel. Apparently, he answered with: "Interesting..." END OF SPOILER

- Whenever Katie has to do the Canary Cry, she does it in silence. She only opens her mouth and pretends to scream. When she was introduced to the cry and she had to bring it to screen, she was pretty stressed out about it. Most of the Canary Cry scenes are filmed on location in the middle of the night in downtown Vancouver. She was hesitant about doing a real scream. She says that she thought people might not realize they were doing a TV show and she was playing a character, whose scream could kill someone. Also, she says she would really love to continue having a voice and being able to work days after.

- SPOILER SEASON 6: She can't choose which one of the Laurels, she loves playing more. She loves playing both. She says she has been having a blast playing them and she is very grateful that she is able to do that. END OF SPOILER.

- Katie Cassidy and the other women of the DC Universe have founded "Shethority", which they call "a positive place for all things female. Katie says it's all about supporting each other. She explains that she and women like Caity Lotz (Sara), Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity) and Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin) have probably competed against each other at one point in their careers. "Shethority" is about supporting each other instead of being competitive. She thinks it's cool to see her girlfriends succeed and that she's proud of them.

- SPOILER SEASON 4! Katie says she cried, when she found out about the death of Laurel. In the beginning of this season, Oliver visits the grave of a beloved one, but you can't see who is in it. At that time, she was roommates with Danielle Panabaker (who plays Caitlin Snow in "The Flash") and Daniella mentioned that it could be Laurel in the grave. AT that point Katie could not believe that and she laughed it away. In February, however, she got a phone call and heard that it wás Laurel in the grave. She says that sucked, but she understood it from a writer's/ producer's perspective.  If she could change anything about Laurel's death, she would make it less simple, but she also thinks that the writers have done a great job. END OF SPOILER...

- Katie Cassidy thinks it would be really cool to play the role of John Diggle. She thinks Arrow and Spartan resemble Batman & Robin. 

- When she was asked in what way she related most to Laurel, Katie answered that Laurel is very dedicated and a fighter. She mentions that goes along with being stubborn and that these are three qualities she can relate to.

- On how it was to work with Caity Lotz, Cassidy says: Caity Lotz is awesome. She thought it was great that Laurel's sister Sara comes back in Arrow. She says you're not always sure if you will get along with a person you are going to spend so much time with, but with Caity (and the rest of the cast of "Arrow") that was the case. Katie says that the people she works with are not only good actors and actresses, but that they are also good people. She thinks Caitly Lotz is a huge testament to that, as is Danielle Panabaker. Katie says Caity Lotz is a badass chick and that she is proud of her.

I will leave it at this, because I think you should just watch the video (lol). Well that is not true, but the article is getting pretty long and I would like to talk about one more thing. Yes...I did actually meet Katie Cassidy...

Like I already mentioned, I had made my peace with the fact that the Q&A was all I would see of Katie. The photo op was at the same time as Dwight Schultz' Q&A and I really wanted to watch that one too. After Dwight's Q&A we walked past the photo booth and I noticed that Katie's photo op was not done yet, so I "pulled a Liv". When Carola and I visit conventions, we walk around a lot and where Carola is very hesitant about walking up to the actor's tables, I am the impulsive one. Well at HDCC I lived up to that reputation. At the moment I saw that the photo op was still happening, I made a left turn and said I'm going to do it. I bought a ticket and got in line. Before Carola knew what was happening, I was in the photo booth meeting Katie Cassidy. She was very nice and I am so glad I did this, because I think I would have really regretted it if I hadn't. It was great to finally meet Katie Cassidy and it was worth the wait!