“I wasn’t really a comic book fan when I was growing up but I was a fan of the DC world,” said Katrina Law. “Sure, I had Batman and Superman sheets and underwear when I was younger, but I wasn’t all about it.”
Who didn’t want to be those two growing up? Those characters have in some way managed to touch generations of lives. Law was introduced to the superhero genre at a very young age, and has now come a long way from portraying arguably her biggest role yet because of its existence.
Growing up, the TV star was heavily involved in several activities such as dance, karate and voice coaching. Her most notable achievement was winning the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA shortly after high school. Since then, she has played a role in several mediums spanning from movies such as Lucky Numbers, Emmett’s Mark, and most recently, Death Valley where she is at the forefront of the film. She has even dabbled in the video game industry in the critically acclaimed game of the year cultural hit, Red Dead Redemption. But she is better known for her roles in the TV spectrum as Mira in Spartacus and Nyssa Al Ghul in CW’s hit TV series, Arrow.
So far, the actress has no complaints about where she has taken her career.
“I’m pretty proud of the work that I’ve done so far,” she said. “I feel like I’ve had some amazing roles.”
Her role on Arrow has significantly increased from previous seasons and because of it, her exposure is growing as well. But you would be pleasantly surprised to hear how shocked she was to discover how important Nyssa Al Ghul, her role on Arrow, is to the DC Universe.
“Out of ten, I think I was about a six,” said Law. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I think there’s always that possibility to get killed off; you just don’t know where the writers will go with it, or even how the fans will take it.”
Expectations in the super genre can swallow up an actors’ confidence, especially if it’s a pivotal role. But when Law finally grasped the importance of her role she quickly got behind the idea.
“So when I heard I was Nyssa, all of a sudden these DC nerds came at me with the summary about everything Talia Al Ghul, Ras Al Ghul and everything that has to deal with Batman,” said Law. “Then I was like ‘Woah’, then I finally knew what I was getting myself into. I definitely can’t spit out any comic book stories or anything but I definitely had to do my research because you can’t go into a roll like this blind.”
Making any changes to any comic book character is a tricky endeavour because one thing can cause a multitude of fans to run the other way. Many fans, despite her not being the fan-favourite assassin Talia, have embraced Nyssa (Raatko)Al Ghul. Law thinks, as long as the process of creating a new version of a icon from the ground up doesn’t necessarily hurt the origin of the character, then it gives comic book enthusiasts a familiar face from a different angle.
“I feel like, when you make changes to any DC comic book or Marvel character, you need to be careful on what you do and know how you justify those changes,” she said. “For the purists out there that want the exact same story about Talia, I get those things, but at the same time we introduced a new character with some changes.”
Grateful to be a part of CW universe that has developed more and more shows to add to their DC line-up, Law touches on the impact of today’s heroes on the younger generation.
“I’m stoked!” said Law. “I can’t even put into words on how excited I am for all the characters they are bringing to life. My favourite part of all this is their attention to detail on how many DC characters there are and how true they stay to the characters. I know when I was growing up, all I wanted to be was Batman or Superman, and now generations later, kids are exposed to different kinds of heroes to look up to, like more female heroes.”
Coming off a strong season in the last season of Arrow, Law is hoping her role on the show will continue to soar.
“I hope so, but I have no power over these things. Who knows what the writers have in store for me. I feel like they don’t tell me so I don’t have to lie to people on what happens,” she chuckled.
Going into season four which premiered Oct 7th on CW, Law shares what’s on the mind of her character.
“I think she is thinking very heavily on looking at every possible way of killing Malcolm Merlin, said Law.“ I think she is trying to find a way to take what’s rightfully hers.”
She is referring to a hostile takeover of the throne of the League of Assassins. She thinks there’s no room for any distractions going forward. Be it a love interest, Nyssa is determined to claim what her bloodline deserves.
Going into the fourth season, Law wants to assure fans that they’re in for another stellar season from Arrow, one that might succeed expectations.
“I think it’s going to be epic, and it’s going to rock everyone to their core. You won’t see what’s coming,” said Law. “I think we have already topped it (season 3) in the first few episodes.”
What are you hoping to see out of the upcoming season of Arrow? Let us know your burning thoughts below.
