With a role as Laurel Lance on The CW’s Arrow and a successful fashion blog, Katie Cassidy is aiming high and hitting her mark.
You’re heading into the third season of Arrow. What have you enjoyed most about playing Laurel?
The second season was a very tough season for my character and very emotionally draining. But at the same time, so fulfilling and rewarding for me as an actor. I think it showed the creators and show runners that I was capable of going places that maybe they weren’t aware of.
It’s tough when you have to be in a rough place for a long period of it, but I wouldn’t want it any other way—it’s what I love to do and it’s why I do it, Going on Laurel’s journey and watching her grow has been really exciting. Now she’s getting to be more physical, and that has been really fun and cool.
Since she’s getting more physical, does that mean you have as well?
Yeah, it’s crazy, but in the best way possible. You have 15-hour days, and on top of it, you’re working out really hard.
You were a competitive gymnast growing up. Does that training help you with these kinds of roles?
Oh, absolutely. I was a gymnast for most of my life, and your muscle has that memory that comes back when you need it. Also being flexible is really helpful. I probably could still do backhand springs if I wanted. I haven’t really tried recently, but I think if I had proper training, it probably wouldn’t take me too long to pick it up back up.
What made you decide you wanted to be an actor?
When I was about 12, I went to New York with my mom and my sisters and I saw the play Proof with Anne Heche. I had been in acting classes before that, but I remember having this moment of wow—this epiphany—that made me realize ‘I can do this, I want to do this, I need to do this!’ Her performance was just so moving and inspirational.
With such a crazy work schedule, what do you do when you’re not working?
I travel a lot. I have a fashion blog called TomboyKC.com. My business partner lives in Dallas, and we try to meet up once a month, even if it’s just for a weekend, so we can brainstorm and come up with content.
How did the blog come about?
My business partner, Lynsey, is a really good friend of mine. We always bonded over fashion, and it was interesting because when she would add a touch of herself to my style, or vice versa, it just made it all come together. We always joked that we had the same things in our closet, we just wore them different ways. She used to run a fashion blog on her own, so she was like ‘Why don’t we just do one together?’
Do you two have a classic BFF meeting story?
I don’t have a ton of close friends in Los Angeles. It’s where I grew up, and I’m very close with my sisters, but I have a very small group of friends, and for the most part, I felt like I didn’t have a lot in common with a lot of the girls I met here. But when I met Lynsey through a mutual friend, at first I thought she was just going to be another girl, but she was smart, she was funny, she obviously had a sense of style… I was just very impressed with her as a person and within the first 10 minutes of us meeting, I remember being like, ‘I actually really like you! And it’s so weird, because I usually don’t really like people who I randomly meet!’ And she was like, ‘Oh my god, me too!’ And it was a great start to a great friendship!
So are you a tomboy?
I was definitely a tomboy growing up. I played video games. I used to dig for roly-polys. But then there was this other side of me that was trying on my mom’s clothes and doing faux photo shoots and playing dress up with my sisters.
How do you describe your style?
For me, a lot of my inspiration came from men’s fashion, and making it sophisticated yet edgy, and sexy without having to reveal too much. And knowing how to throw on a men’s button down and still feeling confident.
Obviously, when I go out and to red carpets, I dress for what’s appropriate for the event, but I try to bring my sense of style to it. I feel like more recently, within the last two years, I’ve been able to not let other people influence me and tell me what I should wear. Now, I am like, you know what? I don’t really care if people don’t like what I’m wearing, because I do.

source:(x)