A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to interview Arrow actor Rick Gonzalez, who currently guest stars as Rene Ramirez aka Wild Dog in the show. In the interview we talked to him about his casting in Arrow, whether he was aware of Wild Dog’s character prior to being cast, whether he had to do any training for the action sequences on Arrow and how it feels to be part of a show that is about to reach a milestone of 100 episodes.
On his casting in Arrow, Gonzalez said:
“I auditioned for a character that wasn’t [Wild Dog]. I had no knowledge of Wild Dog when I read for the part. I auditioned for a character of a different name and I knew the character was of military background. I read the scene and in hindsight I saw the qualities of Wild Dog in the scene. I had no idea I was going to be reading for a vigilante/superhero in the DC universe that existed before.”
“Fast forward to me getting the call that I got the job. They put me in touch with the costume designer Maya [Mani]. We spoke and she mentioned ‘I need to fit you for a mask and we need to get your costume ready’ and so I literally halted and like, I said “what did you just say?” and she said ‘Oh sweetheart, you’re playing a superhero. You’re playing Wild Dog.’ It was kind of cool and she sent over photos of who he was. I googled him. I looked him up. I was pretty excited. I haven’t shied away from letting people know I’ve read comics as a kid, collected them and so I’m very familiar with the DC universe but I had no knowledge of Wild Dog. It was kind of new for me but I kind of liked the idea of not knowing who he was because it kind of gave me a fresh take. I couldn’t be corrupted by the idea of what I thought of him. That kind of allowed me to give a nice take and something new to whatever the writers were thinking of how they were going to spin him, as opposed to what was already on the page in the comics.”
You can listen to this extract from the interview below:
On the training he had to do for the action sequences in Arrow:
“James Bamford, who directed the first two episodes [of the season] is our stunt choreographer and fight choreographer, who has been there since the beginning of the show, and so we talked about the physicality of the character. He felt that my character, who’s ex-military, needed to be in some sort of shape to handle and to show the audience that this guy is someone who already comes in with a lot of history and a background, and something that Oliver can add on to.”
“We hit the ground running and created a workout regime. [I also had] to be able to kind of match what my stunt double and the amazing stunt team that James brings in and then kind of overlap what they do so amazingly. We put in the time, we worked with a trainer named Thomas Taylor out here in Vancouver and we just hit the ground running and trying to stay in tip-top shape. I have to add that Stephen Amell is probably one of the most in shape actors I’ve ever met. The guy is a natural born athlete so he kind of sets the bar high in terms of being the Green Arrow physically, as well as emotionally. It was important for me to match that with him and try to match that bar that he set.”
You can listen to this extract from the interview below:
On how it feels to be part of a show that is about to hit a 100 episode milestone:
“It’s so amazing. To be included in that episode is awesome. I’m just so excited for people to see the episode and to enjoy it. I think Marc Guggenheim was right- it is a love letter to the fans and if you were a fan of the comics or a fan of the show, I think it’s a perfect way to say thank you. Its just been great for me to come in, short notice and be part of this group and this cast. They’ve been nothing but just gracious and welcoming to us and I think I speak for the rest of the newbies when I say we feel welcome. They’ve opened their arms to us and we just enjoy the whole process. Stephen Amell is a great person. He’s super funny, welcoming and a really amazing actor who puts in a lot of hard work. He’s deserving of this amazing achievement at 100 episodes and having a fan-base that truly cares. I think it shows because he works really hard to create this character and to give the fans something really real.”
You can listen to this extract from the interview below:
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW. The 100th episode of the show, “Invasion!”, airs tonight and is part of the four-night crossover event with The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Thoughts on this report? Are you excited for the 100th episode of Arrow?
You can listen to our full interview with Rick below:
By Ruari Williamson
*Subscribe to our website for updates on the latest news, guest announcements and more. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for more updates.*
Comments.
Currently there are no comments related to this article. You have a special honor to be the first commenter. Thanks!