‘Arrow’ Exclusive: John Barrowman Says He Loves Playing Malcolm Merlyn-In Song!
John Barrowman Talks To Us about his role as Malcolm Merlyn
During his solo panel at Heroes & Villains Fan Fest New York/New Jersey, a fan asked John Barrowman how he felt about playing Malcolm Merlyn and who he would like to play if he had the option to play anyone else on television.
In typical Barrowman fashion, he answered the first part of the question by breaking into song.
“I feel a song because he kills people! He makes them feel really, really bad! Then he steps on their face and kicks their bum! And throws them in the trash!”
For the second question, Barrowman admitted that he wouldn’t change anything. He loves playing Malcolm Merlyn and believes him to be one of the most awesome villains. For some reason, Malcolm has captured people’s hearts. Barrowman says that everyone loves to hate him and it’s fun to get to play to all those different emotional responses by fans.
“I think he’s actually a hero. That’s the way I look at him. Because Oliver does the same thing that Malcolm does, but yet Oliver gets all the acolytes. And he gets Felicity.”
Barrowman adds that if you’ve been watching some of the exchanges between Malcolm and Felicity, you would see that he actually likes her. He has a respect for Felicity and greatly admires her tenacity and go-get-’em attitude.
Though Malcolm was killed off during the Season 5 finale of Arrow, there has been speculation that he somehow weaseled his way out of yet another death. In the popular rule of the Arrowverse, no body means that they aren’t really dead. Malcolm sacrificed himself for Thea by stepping on a landmine that she had triggered. Thea and the rest of the gang ran off as Captain Boomerang arrived with some of Prometheus’ henchmen. The camera cuts to Thea and then we hear the explosion. In Season 2, Oliver saved Felicity from that exact same position, so maybe Malcolm was able to get away before the explosion.
If he is indeed dead, then he will be missed, by fans and Barrowman alike. He closed up the question by saying:
“I wouldn’t change who I am on the Arrowverse. I just love Merlyn.”
Season 6 of Arrow premiers Thursday, October 12, on The CW.
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