Oliver and Felicity may have spent all summer (or the five-month time-jump) in domestic bliss, but we know their happiness away from Starling City can’t last for long. In the run-up to the new season, we’ve learned that Damien Darhk, Mr. Terrific, and John Constantine are coming to the show. We saw Diggle’s new suit (in pictures and in action). We were given explicit promises (in the form of a new show) that Sarah and Ray weren’t dead dead. Ahead of tonight’s season-four premiere, we had a few questions of our own for scene-stealer Emily Bett Rickards, from her TV diet to which couple is more likely to make it: Olitz or Olicity?
What was the first superhero movie you ever saw?Â
Probably Batman, with Adam … Why am I blanking? Sorry, it was a really early morning. Scott? West. I’m thinking Adam Scott, who I love, who I don’t know personally. It’s so old, and it’s really funny if you watch it now. But I was a kid when I saw it.
Would you rather have Felicity’s computer skills or Oliver’s archery skills?Â
Felicity’s computer skills, because they’d help me out more than I think archery would.
What TV shows were you obsessed with five years ago?Â
Veronica Mars was a big one for me. Popular, Grey’s Anatomy. Pushing Daisies. I loved that show! I don’t know how old that is now. What was wrong with that show? Nothing was wrong with that show!
Are you caught up on Scandal?Â
I have watched four seasons of Scandal. I might try and stop myself. But since it keeps popping up in my brain, I don’t think it’s gonna happen. It’s really hard to say good-bye to Shonda Rhimes.
At the end of last season, both Olitz on Scandal and Olicity ended in a very happy place. Which couple do you think has a better chance of working out?
Probably Oliver and Felicity! We’re not in a White House drama, [so] there’s less politics, but also we’re dealing with metahumans. So, I mean, one of us may die, but the relationship will stay strong. But [Olitz are] so connected, they’re like soul mates. Oh, I don’t know. Poor Olivia Pope!
What movie or TV show do you think that Oliver and Felicity could agree on watching for a date?
How to Get Away With Murder. They would probably watch The Flash [laughs]. My dad’s a doctor, and he’d watch Grey’s Anatomy, and he’d be like, “This is not okay. This isn’t what it’s like.†And we’re like, “Shut up, it’s not about that. That’s not why we’re watching it.†So I feel like Oliver and Felicity, watching a superhero show, would be like, “That’s not right!â€
What about a great movie or TV show that you and Stephen Amell agree on?Â
House of Cards. We watched the premiere of season two at the end of our season last year. It broke at midnight, and we were in his trailer at midnight trying to start it. We were just sitting there, waiting, hoping they wouldn’t call us back to work.
Besides characters on Arrow, what other TV show or movie character would you want to train with?
Do you remember Nikita? Maggie Q’s moves are dope in Nikita. I just remember watching her and being like, “Whoa!†And I remember researching her and just being like, “What? She’s fight training! How cool would that be to do for work?†And this was before Arrow. And then I was like, “Oh my God, I’m doing that for work!â€
In past seasons, Felicity has had a few problems when it comes to love. Who do you think would be a good best friend for her?
Chandler from Friends would be a solid add-on to her life. He’s goofy. Nobody knows what he does. And he’s also very dedicated to the job at hand.
Your show has a lot of pretty heartbreaking deaths. What TV or movie or book death really affected you?
Oh my God. So heavy. I’m trying to think of the last time I was sobbing. I usually sob in Scandal, and I don’t even know what it is. I just sob. ‘Cause I usually watch it alone, too, and I’ll binge-watch it. I think that’s probably the recipe [for] complete exertion of emotion. Grey’s Anatomy used to be my Thursday night cry, too. I remember joking with my mom every week, just being like, “Ready to cry.†I was in high school when that first season was out. We watched it together.
Would you rather have super speed for a day, or get to use the A.T.O.M. suit for a whole month?
Super speed. Cause the suit’s a lot of work. I’m all about minimal effort for maximum results.
Would you rather spend a month in Nanda Parbat or a year on the island?
Oh fuck, both of those suck. A month, ‘cause, like, again, I’m all about minimal effort for maximum results.
Felicity’s pretty badass, but what one superpower do you think would make her unstoppable?
Shapeshifting. She’d be like, “I’m a lamp,†and then she’d just become a lamp.
Can you just give us a quick tease for the premiere?
As we left off in happiness, we start in happiness, and then we get into rough, treacherous turmoil and danger right off the bat. The city is in grave danger. It has a massive threat. It has been compromised by a large group of individuals.
This interview has been edited and condensed.