Juliana Harkavy on a ‘Legends’ Guest Star & How the ‘Arrow’ Ladies Are Getting Things Done

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Dean Buscher/The CW

Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word in the April 15 episode of Arrow when the series serves up an episode that loosely borrows on the DC Comics Birds of Prey books.

But unlike Season 2’s episode of the same name, this one — entitled “Lost Canary” — doesn’t bring in Huntress again. Instead, it recruits original Canary, Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) from Legends of Tomorrow, to help the ladies of Team Arrow take care of one of their own.

Turns out, Earth-Two’s Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), aka Black Siren, has gone a bit rogue after being accused of murder, so current Black Canary Dinah (Juliana Harkavy) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) reach out to Sara, aka White Canary, to set the woman who looks exactly like her late sister on a straighter path. Who knows if it will work, given how juicy delicious Cassidy has been as the bitchier bird, but based on Harkavy’s take on the situation we get tonight, things are definitely gonna be flock’in fun to watch.

Here, she talks about the joys of working with these women, learning Dinah’s newest skill and what we can expect as Arrow gets closer to the season finale.

Hey there! Isn’t this your last week of production?

Juliana Harkavy: Yes, I’m actually on my second official day of hiatus. I mean, we still have ADR and stuff to do about a week before each episode airs  So, yeah, there’ll still be some work.

Well let’s talk about this Birds of Prey episode, because I love how Dinah has really grown into her role. It really feels like she’s got her own life going on.

Yeah. It has been great. It’s been really cool that she has the SCPD, as well as Team Arrow and the future story line. You really get to see all these different shades of her that we have not seen before. It’s been very fun.

So how does this whole Birds of Prey thing happen?

Well, there is a problem in Star City…

What a surprise!

[Laughs] Yeah, it’s shocking, I know! And really, Sara Lance is the only one who we feel can help our team solve this problem. She has a deep connection with the characters and so we bring her in. The guys are off doing another mission, so it becomes a girl mission. And it’s awesome.

Caity Lotz and Katie Cassidy (Dean Buscher/The CW)

And how does one go about finding Sara? She’s off in a spaceship.

Right, right. [Laughs] Well, we have the mind of Felicity Smoak, so anything can happen. She can make anything happen.

This problem, is it tied to something from the show’s past?

Yes and no. It is, definitely, but it’s also something… it’s a new version of a problem from the past.

OK, and what is this dynamic like, once all these people get together? ‘Cause I can only imagine how Sara feels about Laurel.

Well, Sara is in a really interesting position there. I find Sara Lance to be a very noble character, and she handles Laurel as such. There’s also that history, even though it’s not her Laurel necessarily, there’s an emotional attachment there. Dinah is at first a bit skeptical, because Sara’s not deputized. So that’s tough for Dinah but once they do come together and start their mission, there’s none of that. There’s none of the doubts, there’s no pettiness, no competition. They’re just kicking ass together the whole time and they work great together. They all love it and I’m so glad that they chose to go in that direction.

Because it could have been all about pitting women against each other.

Exactly. And even though we do have conflict, we’re very much a team and I love that decision that the writers made.

Dinah has interacted with Sara before, so she knows her, correct?

That’s right, yes. Last year’s finale, she met her briefly in the hospital, when Det. Lance (her father, played by Paul Blackthorne) was dying. But even as small as that moment was, I think it really adds to their dynamic on a deep level, because they were together for that incredibly personal, traumatic event. So they have history.

Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake/Black Canary and Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/White Canary  (Dean Buscher/The CW)

What else can you tell me about this problem they have to handle?

Well, it’s delicate, because it involves members of our own team. They just come together and use all of their individual strengths to try to fix it. And it was really cool, because the choreography of the fights demonstrates their own skills snd the way that we work together. Dinah, now not having a cry, she kind of can utilize other other methods of fighting. Katie does tons of martial arts, but she’s also very acrobatic. So it’s really kinda cool to see that dynamic. The physicality of all of us is so different.

How was it when you got the three Canaries all together?

I really have to say, I think it was my favorite episode of this season. There was just something really special about it. It felt like something that needed to be done and it was a different dynamic than what we’re used to, but such a strong one. I’m just excited to see it, because filming it was the most fun ever.

Nice. And does it kind of help get Laurel closer into the team?

I think that it definitely helps Laurel to see the team working in that way and to see the women coming together for each other in that way. I hope it’ll crack through to her.

Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance/Black Siren (Dean Buscher/The CW)

You mentioned Dinah’s lost cry. How has it been for you, learning the bowstaff stuff? Because that stuff is hard!

Oh my god, that’s so funny! [Laughs] I’ve really grown to love it. It’s just fun now. I appreciate having a weapon that I can actually use and learn choreography with. It’s really fun. And it is so light, light as air. You would be shocked. One day if you come to set, find me and I will show you my bow-staff. You’ll be shocked how easy it is to just get the basic motion and  also just how paper-thin it is. It feels almost delicate. Now, if you whack yourself, it hurts like hell, but holding it, it’s not heavy or anything. [Laughs]

Now, how great is it now that you know what you will look like in 20 years?

[Laughs] Oh, it’s great. It’s taken so much stress off my life. I’m not getting Botox, I’ve just accepted it. You know, I look great anyway.

Right?! You’re just gonna have a couple strands of gray. It’s not bad.

No, it’s not bad at all! I really do enjoy the age makeup and I really feel quite strong in it. I love the fact that we have a woman in her 50s, who is just as strong, and just as capable…

That’s the greatest thing, is that even in 20 years, she’s still not taking s**t.

Oh, no. She’s even more so not taking s**t. [Laughs]

What can you preview as we get close to the end of this season?

It’s a really big, emotional, exciting end of the season. Not everything gets wrapped up, but a lot of things are and a lot of questions are answered. And everybody’s performance has just been really spectacular to watch. I think the added emotion of everything—the fact that we are coming to an end soon and that some of our characters are not gonna be back—just made it a really powerful finale.

Arrow, Mondays, 9/8c, The CW