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Fan Fest Exclusive: ‘Arrow’ Star Echo Kellum Talks Season 5, the Crossover, and More

Fan Fest Exclusive: Arrow Star Echo Kellum Talks Season 5, the Crossover, and More

Echo Kellum joined Arrow in season four as the incredibly smart and talented Curtis Holt. He worked for Palmer Tech and became friends with CEO Felicity before getting dragged into her other job and Team Arrow. He soon became a valuable asset to the team and helped take down the nuclear bombs unleashed by Damien Darhk. This season, Echo became a series regular and Curtis is currently training to fight alongside the Green Arrow.

Image: The CW
Image: The CW

Alyssa: When are you getting a suit? And the name? I’ve been waiting since you were introduced, and they were definitely hinting at it in season 4.

Echo: Oh yeah. I can definitely say it’s going to happen very soon this season, it’s coming up, like ASAP. It’ll be an interesting turn. You get to see him go through the ups and downs in trying to be a vigilante. You know, Oliver kind of touched on it in episode one, or episode two rather, that Curtis has the least experience on the street. You really see Curtis kind of deal with that aspect as Terrific, but, you know, I think that’s one thing about Curtis, is that he has a determination unlike anyone else and you see him really fight to get over  those hurdles and fight to be the best hero he can be.

A: Describe Curtis’ journey from season 4 up until he asks Oliver to be trained.

E: I think for Curtis, he’s never really been exposed and been that close to people actually putting in that work. I mean, he definitely knew of the Green Arrow and the things he was doing being a Star City resident. But I think actually having a taste of it, and then that being set up against the backdrop of not wanting to feel helpless anymore, is really what motivates Curtis to kind of want to get to that period where he is right now where he wants to train and get out in the field and, you know, try to save Star City. I think that it was just that he had never experienced that. Prior to it, once he had gotten that taste for it with the bee episode, it still kind of threw him off guard. But as you can see in episode one, just that feeling of being vulnerable and like you can’t protect yourself is really something that motivates him to really want to get in the field and start that tough training with Oliver.

A: Yeah, because of that, and maybe not being able to keep up with team physically since they have more experience in the field, do you think Curtis is going to rely more on tech?

E: You know, I think, I mean Curtis definitely has physical attributes in this case. You know, he’s an Olympic bronze medalist so he definitely has some athleticism. But he is gonna be starting from a little bit behind all the other vigilantes who have been actually out in the street, kicking butt, you know, taking names. So you will see him definitely have a struggle with that. You will see him get into a lot of fights and have the repercussions of that, but, you know, as I was saying, he is incredibly determined, so this is something that he will definitely fight through.

A: Yeah. What will Curtis’ husband have to say about him becoming a vigilante?

E: Yeah, I think it’s, you know… It’s not easy when a significant other takes up any career that’s away from the house or gets you to come back bruised up, you’re like, “W hat’s happening?” You know, it’s definitely gonna cause some hurdles between him and Paul, but I definitely think that they are strong enough that they’ll be able to, you know, fight through that stuff and let their love really speak for itself, let it stand out, and show that they can actually make it work. But it will be an emotional time and it will have its ups and downs and dealing with that back and forth.

A: I know you have been in the process of filming the crossover episode. How was all of that?

E: Oh, it was absolutely amazing. I got to work with so many actors that I admire so much and so many characters that I’m such fans of and it’s very surreal to be a part of it. I’m so thankful I could be even a little part of it. I just can’t wait for the fans to see what we came up with, and, you know, all our hard sweat and tears that go into these crossovers and I really think they’re gonna love it. And I love that our crossover for Arrow specifically will really play true to Arrow, and really dive into that show and still doing the crossover, we lead with the legacy of that show and that’s just going to be a really great time for everyone.

A: Were you a fan of Arrow before joining the cast?

E: I typically don’t watch a lot of TV, definitely a fan of the comic books, but I probably only saw one episode before I joined the cast. Then once I found out they were interested in me, I started binge watching and definitely fell in love with it. Flash, Legends, and Supergirl, they’re all just such wonderful shows. But just me being a working actor and maybe doing comedy and live theatre, I didn’t have a lot of time for TV. It just kind of fell by the wayside for a couple of years there, but it’s definitely changed and I’m more back into TV and engrossed in all the wonderful stories that are being told, especially like the stories that are being told on our show.

A: Can you describe Season 5 of Arrow in one word?

E: Uh, badass. [laughs] That might be two words, but I feel like it’s just perfect.

A: It’s definitely been back to the roots. We have a darker Oliver, we have two seemingly human villains right now. I don’t know much about Prometheus to know if he has a little bit of mystical powers, but Tobias is definitely human.

E: I think definitely you will see more of that aspect on the table and one of those characteristics is kinda dealing with what it’s like to be a hero without superpowers. And I think that’s one of the fun things about our show that’s different from all the other shows. So, it’s pretty cool.

A: Yeah, I know that was one of the reason why I really liked Arrow, because it was very real and human. If someone wanted to be a superhero in the real world, that’s how it would be.

E: That’s what differentiates us from the other shows. It really is kind of delving into the real world. You know, real nitty-gritty mix of bad, and I think, that’s what I love most about this season, that we really got back into that.

A: Cool. Is there anything else you’d like to add or say about season 5?

E: Just that I think this season is the probably best season we’ve ever done. I think that people will dig everyone’s dynamic, the new group, the new team, and I can’t wait for people to see where my character goes. This season I think is just going to be a lot of fun for everyone.

Arrow airs Wednesdays on The CW.

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