Stephen Amell on the "Surreal" Honor of Returning to The Flash
Arrow star Stephen Amell is back in Vancouver, filming an appearance on the ninth episode of The Flash. The star took to social media this morning to talk about his Sinceriously charity campaign, but before he got into the meat of it, he took a minute to thank producers, crew, and fans of the Arrowverse for the warm welcome he has experienced coming back to the role of Oliver Queen for the first time since 2019. Amell launched Arrow in 2012, and played the role until late 2019, when his character died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event.
Amell said that if there are any additional details about his appearance on The Flash that go public before it airs, they won't come from him. In fact, he would have preferred to keep the appearance secret altogether.
"If it were up to me, I wouldn't have said shit," Amell told fans. "I like surprises."
Some fans have speculated that the announcement was made in order to get out ahead of set spies and other rumors. After all, it's not uncommon for Arrowverse stories to be spoiled when scenes are shot out in public places. Amell said that it wouldn't be unreasonable to think those people were right, and that he might have to go out into Vancouver in "whatever I'm wearing" for The Flash.
"It's been a real honor to come back," Amell said on his Instagram Story. "It's very surreal. I'm staying at the same hotel I stayed at when I was shooting the Arrow pilot....I've had a day on set so far, and to go back, I'm not going to speak to any of the cast that I may or may not be working with, but the crew -- I've seen people who date back to the very first episode of Arrow. I think we ended the show for all of the right reasons, and I think that we ended it at the correct time but I wasn't expecting ot leave Vancouver in November of 2019 and then through various circumstances, I just didn't see people that I saw almost every day for eight years, for years now. It's been lovely to come back."
In terms of fan response, Amell said, "I don't read too much stuff online but you can get a sense for a reaction, and I have to say that it was incredibly humbling and made me feel really, actually quite special. For that, thank you."
