Stephen Amell had his breakthrough with the CW show Arrow, where he played the lead superhero. The Canadian actor’s show began the Arrowverse, including shows such as The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and more. The actor reprised his role as Oliver Queen in many of these shows and video games.
The CW series was reportedly Amell’s tenth job in America after he moved. The actor mentioned that he started as an audience member on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and was on the show when he got his first acting job. He mentioned that he was almost kicked out of the talk show when he appeared years later while promoting Arrow.
Stephen Amell Was Almost Kicked Out Of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Stephen Amell spent eight years playing the billionaire/vigilante Oliver Queen in the CW show Arrow. Based on the DC superhero Green Arrow, Amell became the first actor to portray him in live-action. The series began as the foundation for the Arrowverse slate of shows such as Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash with whom they frequently crossed paths.
Amell had his breakthrough with the series and had only appeared in short roles on other TV shows before Arrow. The star reportedly got his first American job as an antagonist on an episode of CSI: Miami. The actor mentioned on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he actually got the phone call for the job when he was sitting as an audience member on the talk show.
In an appearance in 2015, Stephen Amell mentioned how he started out as an audience member in the noted talk show and was almost kicked out because he was using his phone. When Kimmel reminded him that audiences were not supposed to use phones during the show he mentioned that he was almost caught by security. He said,
[They said] ‘Don’t use your phone. It’s not a joke. We will kick you out.’ So I left my phone on vibrate because I knew the call was coming. I was 95% sure I was getting the job. The phone starts buzzing and I just want to look to see if it’s my agency…I see the security at the corner of my eye go ‘Don’t touch your phone’.
The actor reportedly left during the live music event of the night, which was being performed by rapper Flo Rida.
Stephen Amell Was Initially Apprehensive About Leaving Arrow
Stephen Amell played Green Arrow a.k.a Oliver Queen for eight years on the CW show Arrow. The actor spent a better part of the decade donning the suit and using the quiver, arrows, and now. So, when he had to finally hang it all up after season eight, the actor admitted that he was a bit scared. However, he said that he quickly got over it.
In an interview with EW, Stephen Amell mentioned that his fear was reduced when he thought back on his journey,
I’m 38 years old, and I got this job when I was 30. I’d never had a job for more than a year. The fact that I’ve done this for the better part of a decade, and I’m not going to do it anymore, is a little frightening. But then I remembered that I was able to move to L.A. in 2010 because my grandfather lent me $15,000 and I had no citizenship, I had nothing. So try to put your level of being frightened into a relative capacity.
Despite the fear, Amell reportedly wanted to end his tenure after season 7 as his contract was about to be up. However, the actor mentioned that he was convinced by producer Greg Berlanti to stay on for one more season to allow them to tie up the story arcs.
Arrow is currently streaming on Netflix.
