Arrow: Stephen Amell Confirms He Was Ready to "Move On" Ahead of Season 7

Stephen Amell has opened up about his time on The CW's Arrow in a brand new interview on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast, and there were some big reveals.

The interview was interrupted when the actor suffered a panic attack during it, but he went on to speak about the "rut" he hit during 2019, as well as his thoughts on Oliver's death scene and return to close out the series that started the Arrowverse.

Given that the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover only just concluded, Rosenbaum asked Amell about the highs and lows of filming crossovers.

“They come out great, the fans love them… [but] I always think of what we leave on the table because we try and do something really extraordinary and with this amazing scope within the confines of our typical schedule," he told Rosenbaum.

"It’s never made any sense to me.”

He then spoke about filming one of Oliver's death scenes.

"They were trying to wrap [scene partners] Caity [Lotz] and Grant [Gustin]… before I shot the coverage of the scene where I died,” Amell said of the process.

“I blame no one for this, but this is a scene with me from Arrow that’s taking place on Supergirl, with a Supergirl crew, with demands on both Grant and Caity… and they’re trying to pull them so that Flash and Legends don’t mess up their day the next day."

"Meanwhile, the f–king Green Arrow was laying on a gurney trying to deliver his lines to something other than a f–king tennis ball. So, there are lots of scenes where I’m acting and there just aren’t other actors there, and that is just not an acceptable way of creating the best product, from my perspective.”

The actor then touched on the fact that he was ready to say goodbye to his role ahead of Arrow Season 7, but "then I got the proverbial ‘offer that I couldn’t refuse.’ They say, ‘Well, you’ll have to shoot 22 episodes with us [for Season 7]… which is July through April. Are you really telling us you want to do 22 at Price X and finish in April, and not do 32 at this price, and be done in October?’ Because if you’re renegotiating, they change your episodic fee."

"I looked at it, and it would have been fiscally irresponsible for me to say no. Just fiscally irresponsible. I loved the s–t out of Season 8, I had a blast, but I was there for the money. More so than I had ever been.”

The panic attack suffered by came early into his first interview for the podcast, in mid-December, as Rosenbaum asked, “Do you think that you have yet to mourn [Arrow], being done with it?”

Amell said that, with his new Starz drama, Heels not entering production until March, “I just don’t want any responsibility right now, other than husband and father.”

The actor then asked Rosenbaum and podcast producers if it was hot in the recording booth, since he was suddenly sweating.

Rosenbaum went to adjust the air, but Amell said, “Honestly, man, I think I might be sick. I might have to cut this short, I’m not feeling well at all.”

While Rosenbaum offered to drive him home, Amell said: “I actually kind of want to walk. I just need fresh air.”

Amell did return to complete the interview weeks later, affirming that he "hadn't disconnected" following the conclusion of Arrow production in Mid-December.

The actor felt like there were demands on his time, with the upcoming Code 8 indie movie, and that he had scaled his fitness regime back.

“I had gotten into such a rut with physical fitness or lack thereof, that there was no release of endorphins,” he said.

“I even found myself, not to get too personal, with very little sexual appetite, just because I was doing nothing but digging myself into a rut with my body.”

Amell did visit the doctor to find out what was going on, but he was told there was nothing wrong physically.

“That’s when you have that moment of realization where you go, ‘Oh my God, this is in my head.’ Which is scarier.”

The full podcast can be listened to here.

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