Starz

‘Dropping Character’ Podcast With Robby Ramos: Stephen Amell Recounts Career and Latest Role for ‘Heels’


Stephen Amell gets candid regarding acting for his new role as Jack Spade in Heels for Robby Ramos’ podcast Dropping Character. Booking Amell shouldn’t have been too difficult since Robby Ramos is his co-star on the new Starz show Heels. Ramos kicks off the podcast asking Amell what it was about his character, Jack, that he related to. Amell admitted that it’s Jack’s tendency to caretake that speaks to him. Robby Ramos asked him how he gets into character, and Amell stated that while he does take from his real life, “The most effective way to prepare for a new character is to bring up a dialed-up version of myself. The more you can feel comfortable in your own skin the better off you will be as an actor.”

Ramos and Amell also discussed the rigorous TV schedules of network television compared to cable or streaming shows, noting that network television shows can be 28 episodes with crossover episodes. Amell admitted that shows like Arrow film from the beginning of July to the end of next April with only a two-week holiday for Christmas. Ramos likened the rigors of the schedule to Broadway.

There were personal moments Amell mentioned, such as his transition from Arrow to Heels. While he was offered the role of Jack in Heels before the ending of the final season of Arrow, he felt compelled to deliberate the idea that he might be worth more to stay at Arrow than to a new acting endeavor. He was pleased to see that wasn’t the case, but anxiety transitioning to shows is a real thing actors struggle with. Ramos also commiserated that this past year he also experienced anxiety being new in the television industry, with a new baby arriving and COVID-19.

Becoming a parent was a game-changer for Amell, who said everything realigned when his daughter came into the world. “Having a kid made every other part of my life simpler. Instantly she becomes number one.” Amell shared stories of his daughter on set, who even had her own chair on Arrow. Both Ramos and Amell discussed their dreams of being in professional sports in high school. Amell stated that he played football, rugby, skied, and was on the swim team. He always thought about the possibility of playing special teams for a small university. An entire fandom is thanking the stars that Amell pivoted to acting.

Two years to the day that Amell moved to LA, he received the call that he was the Green Arrow. In an account that gave listeners chills, Amell was the first and only actor considered for the Green Arrow. After several rounds of auditions, he found out on February 2, 2012 at 12 p.m. that he would headline his first network show. Amell knew he had to be a steward of this celebrated character. “It was crazy to see my name in the Deadline article announcing the role. To celebrate, we went to dinner at a Cantina on Hollywood Boulevard and someone gave me the Green Arrow comic book.”

In discussing other roles he had, Amell’s advice to other actors is to always take a deep breath, steady one’s pulse, and ask questions in auditions. “Ask the people in the room what they want from the character and you might land the role that you otherwise might have not received,” he stated. Amell spoke of the energy that comes from being on set, “The minute they roll sound and call action, I still get a kick of adrenaline.”

We get a kick of adrenaline every time we see Stephen Amell on screen. Listen to Robby Ramos’ interview on his Dropping Character podcast on your favorite platform, and watch Heels on the Starz network, which premiered this past week.

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