The end of Arrow is a major milestone in the history of superhero television, with the series wrapping up its eighth and final season tomorrow night. In recent weeks, star Stephen Amell has been candid about what the end of the show means for him personally, and what he felt about his onscreen death in “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” The actor has now revealed though why he came back to Arrow for a final season in the first place, and the reasons appear to be partly practical.
Speaking to Michael Rosenbaum on his Inside of You podcast, Amell reflected on the stresses involved in playing Oliver Queen, and how he was brought back onboard by an improved financial offer.
“You know there was a lot of issues going back for Season 8 for me, just because I thought 7 was the logical conclusion. I was done. I was ready to move on and then I got the proverbial offer that I couldn’t refuse.”
For those not aware, season 7 provides a fitting conclusion to the Arrow saga, wherein Oliver leaves with the Monitor, knowing that he’ll have to sacrifice himself in the future. In addition, the torch is passed from the existing characters to the younger generation of Star City heroes. Of course, season 8 then follows this up with a shorter run that brings back many familiar faces for a coda of sorts, all culminating in the events of “Crisis.”
The deal Amell took was essentially a pay rise to shoot an additional ten episodes of the series, and extend his time in the role of Oliver Queen by about six months. And here, he explains why he couldn’t turn down the offer:
“It would have been fiscally irresponsible for me to say no. Just fiscally irresponsible, so… and I loved the sh-t out of Season 8. I had a blast, but I was there for the money, right, more so than I had ever… love and money, but certainly money. I don’t regret the choice.”
Whatever his reasons, Amell still delivered an emotional send-off to Oliver Queen, with the final episode of Arrow this week wrapping up the last pieces of the long-running series. Arrowverse co-stars Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin have also paid tribute to Amell’s importance to the success of their shows, and why The CW and DC have put so much faith in expanding their roster of DC series.
For Amell, his next career step is Heels, a Starz drama about professional wrestling, something that’s he’s long been a fan of, and occasional participant in, over the years. Furthermore, Amell appeared in sci-fi picture Code 8 last year, and will likely want to try broadening his range after almost a decade working on Arrow. For now, though, fans can enjoy the last episode of the series, “Fadeout,” in what promises to be an emotional epilogue to the show.