Arrow Set Visit: Stephen Amell on Fight Scenes and Surprises to Come

Tonight marks the premiere of the most anticipated new show of the season, Arrow, a CW series featuring action, intrigue, duplicity, and an amazing cast, including Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Arrow.

TV Fanatic recently visited the Arrow set in Vancouver (trip provided by Warner Bros TV) to interview the show's cast, see the Arrow's lair set, as well as the Queen family mansion on that day.

The show was filming Episode 7 on location at a secluded mansion in the area, providing a gorgeous backdrop. For you Arrow comic book fans, it was the Bertinelli mansion set. Yes, Helena will make an appearance.

Stephen Amell graciously gave up some of his break time to sit down for an extended interview. Here's the first video clip from our chat, in which Amell discusses the show's fight scenes:

Amell said of the prep that went into tonight's premiere: "It’s been a learning experience for me because on the pilot, I had a lot of prep time. And we knew going in, because the script was really, pretty locked from three, four weeks before we started shooting, we knew going in what the fights were gonna be, so we could plan for them."

Amell sounded disappointed that he couldn't do all the stunts, but clearly explains why:

"Unfortunately, there are instances where I don’t get enough time to to prep, in which case Simon Burnett who is my very, very, very capable stunt-double will do the lion’s share of the work, not because I can’t, but just because of logistics and because of safety. Because you, I mean, the person that you’re fighting has to know that you know everything that’s going on, and it would be irresponsible if I stepped in there."

In the second video clip, Amell discusses what will surprise viewers about Arrow:

"If you come into the series with a certain expectation based on what you expect from this network, just in terms of tone and just in terms of subject matter and the way that we deal with it, I think you’ll be very surprised," he says.

"Not to say that it’s better or that it’s worse. But we’re, I think we’re using interesting tactics and I think that whether you’re a television viewer that’s interested in interpersonal relationships or really kick-ass action, you’re gonna get what you’re looking for. The places that we’re trying to take this and the locations that we’re using and the unflinching nature of the storytelling technique is gonna surprise people."

Arrow premieres tonight at 8 pm ET on the CW. Check back with us soon for more Arrow interviews from the rest of the cast and more clips from our sit-down with Amell, as well.

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.