Arrow What do you think of Stephen Amell potryal of Arrow?

[Silver Surfer]

All over this forum we have threads and discussions about almost every character and it's actor except for the main man himself. So after almost 2 season what do you think of Stephen Amell's version of Ollie?

I for one love it, I was a big fan of Hartley's GA on Smallville but this blows it out of the water. Amell is great at portraying both present and Island Ollie, the way he changes his voice when he is in Arrow mode is a lot better than Bale's Batman, which just came across goofy.

Anyways, thoughts?

 

[Matt.S99]

Perfect. Amell is perfect. Get in my bed.

 

[BatmanBeyond]

As the main character/actor, he stood out like a sore thumb to me when I started watching the show. He came across as a bit wooden and honestly, not that good of an actor. I was also expecting someone more roguish as Green Arrow to be honest.

That being said, I think Amell has really grown into the role and while he'll probably never be the best of actors, he does a really good job of portraying the multi-faceted nature of Ollie's character. His physicality cannot be contested either and for me, he's grown from one of the show's least inspiring aspects to its heart and sole more or less, just like a main character should do.

 

[DrRocket]

I remember when they announced plans on creating an Arrow tv series and I was pumped, then I felt abut sad that Hartley wasn't going to play the lead an so I googled Amell. Didn't think he'd amount to much and boy was I wrong.

After I watched the pilot several times I was hooked and a large part of that was because of Stephens portrayal as Oliver, and the guy is a great guy and now one of my favourite actors.

 

[Boy Scout]

He's much better now than he was in the beginning, and I think he'll only continue to improve. We're lucky to have him.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Look. I really like Amell. I think he seems like an awesome dude. But he is not a great actor. He is adequate for what they need on Arrow, but he never goes above and beyond what is asked of him. He's pretty standard, I imagine that a lot of people could portray Ollie just as well.

That being said, I'm very glad that we have him, it could be a lot worse. He is good. Not anything more. None of the acting has blown my mind on the show.

 

[DrRocket]

^ acting in any superhero medium never really goes 'above and beyond'. Sure a lot of people could play ollie just as we'll as him but that applies to pretty much every superhero casting ever, with the exception of Rdj as iron man

 

[godisawesome]

He's shown flashes that makes me want to see him with more ambitious material. A lot of the stuff with Tommy was very good, and he's got a great straight man aspect whenever he's paired with someone goofy.

 

[Hush]

He is wonderful now, not so much until after the first half of season 1. He was iffy in that first half and then killed it from that point on for me.

 

[Ultra Nolanite]

He's good but I'm curious to see his more comicbook/DCAU-like Green Arrow. Once he drops some of the brooding.

I think the writers are working towards this. He's already less brooding in this season than he was in the first.

 

[p4poetic]

Look. I really like Amell. I think he seems like an awesome dude. But he is not a great actor. He is adequate for what they need on Arrow, but he never goes above and beyond what is asked of him. He's pretty standard, I imagine that a lot of people could portray Ollie just as well.

That being said, I'm very glad that we have him, it could be a lot worse. He is good. Not anything more. None of the acting has blown my mind on the show.

And that is?

Just because a lot of actors could play a role well doesn't take away from Amell. There are very few instances IMO (especially in this genre) out there where an actor makes it entirely their own.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

His growth since this show began and his commitment and stoic attitude with just the right amount of emotion when needed is A-list in my book

 

[Capt. Marvelous]

When Amell is giving good material to work with, he shines. Even in the earlier episodes he shined when the writing was strong. I enjoyed his performance as Island Oliver last season moreso than this season, especially his dynamic with Slade. His chemistry with Tommy was great too and of course with Diggle.

When he's given bad storylines and dialogue, like in the Huntress episodes or explaining Sara's convoluted backstory to Team Arrow, he falls flat.

He was good casting. I'd say the only weak links/miscastings on Arrow are Laurel, Sara, Roy, Huntress, and Amanda Waller.

 

[Gaz0680]

When Amell is giving good material to work with, he shines. Even in the earlier episodes he shined when the writing was strong. I enjoyed his performance as Island Oliver last season moreso than this season, especially his dynamic with Slade. His chemistry with Tommy was great too and of course with Diggle.

When he's given bad storylines and dialogue, like in the Huntress episodes or explaining Sara's convoluted backstory to Team Arrow, he falls flat.

He was good casting. I'd say the only weak links/miscastings on Arrow are Laurel, Sara, Roy, Huntress, and Amanda Waller.

Agree with all of that, bar Sara. Caity Lotz is fantastic as BC and has good chemistry on screen with most of the other actors.

 

[Capt. Marvelous]

I disagree. I was enjoying the island scenes until they threw her into it. She dragged it down, partially due to how poorly Sara is written though. This subplot about Sara lying to Slade about how Shado died is so stupid, but her performance isnt helping.

 

[blknrdcllctv]

I was involved in this very discussion not too long ago. Here are my thoughts from that comment thread:

His acting is far from wooden...he is presenting a character that is somewhat calculated in all of his interactions. I think the flashback sequences further support this point - that particular Oliver is loose, funny, eager, vulnerable, awkward.

It's really difficult to pull off this broken/fractured character WITH an alter-ego no less. Much like Batman, you wonder if "The Hood" is the real Oliver.


I tip my hat to guy...

I imagine if you're the keeper of these type of secrets, you would have to be calculating like this...and I think part of it too was emotional containment. He's never fully himself with anyone, not even the people on his team (to whom he's only told his story in pieces...and those pieces lack a lot of context). I agree that Amell has progressed in the role, but we shouldn't look at his earlier acting as being less than. I think the character has been written differently to showcase solid character development. Whereas early on he was "wooden", we began to see him as impatient, impulsive, and quite dick-ish at times. And even early on, he was a different person with Laurel (or women in general).

I'm just saying there is (and was) a method to the madness.

 

[DrRocket]

^ agreed

 

[kguillou]

I just love how badass he portays this version of Green Arrow. He's not just a guy who's good with a bow and arrow, he is also an excellent brawler and martial artist. I can actually see this Oliver being a formidable force against the likes of Batman. There i said it.

Im really looking forward to seeimg how Ollie became such a great fighter on the island.

 

[DrRocket]

^ u and me both

 

[DarKush]

He seemed a little stiff or something at first. But he grew on me over the course of the first season.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Amell is so much better than I was thinking he would be. He's really impressed me as the show has progressed.