'Arrow' star Katie Cassidy on suiting up as Black Canary: 'It's messy'

The moment Arrow fans have been waiting for finally came to fruition during last week’s episode as Katie Cassidy suited up as the Black Canary.

“I can’t tell you how happy it made me,” Cassidy gushes to EW. “I remember at the end of season 2, they needed to fit Sara’s [Caity Lotz] jacket on me and I started to cry when I put it on. I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I’m so happy and honored. From Day 1, I knew that eventually that’s where they were planning to go with the character, but I didn’t know when and it’s television, anything can happen. Honestly, there’s no words that can even explain how lucky, excited, grateful, thrilled I am. For the Black Canary fans, I hope they’re happy with my performance and my take on the character. I hope people are happy.”

But Laurel is far from the fishnet-sporting hero fans know from the comics. In Oliver’s (Stephen Amell) absence, Laurel decidedly stepped up after new baddie Brick (Vinnie Jones) freed a slew of thugs Team Arrow worked so hard to put away. However, she doesn’t quite have the skills the Arrow does. “Even though it’s messy, you can tell there’s fire,” Cassidy says. “She has some skill, but she’s not trained.” That’s exactly why not everyone will be on board with Laurel suiting up. “But then she proves herself because she has so much heart and drive. Arsenal [Colton Haynes] is the first person to come around to it.”

Laurel’s transformation into the Black Canary will really culminate after the trilogy, in an episode aptly titled “Canaries.” “There’s going to be some really crazy, badass scenes of the Canaries fighting,” Cassidy cryptically teases. Let’s not forget, the other Canary—her sister Sara—is dead!

“You’ll be surprised how much Sara is a part of Laurel in season 3 in her going from avenging her sister’s death to honoring her sister’s death to becoming her sister,” Cassidy continues. “Sara is so much apart of season 3 as a character even though she’s physically not there. It stays with her and the show. It’s what gets Laurel out on the streets. It’s what she wants to do. She has a choice. The difference between Sara and Laurel is that Sara didn’t have a choice. When her and Oliver were on the island, she had to go through that with him. Laurel has a choice. She takes her sister’s position, but it comes from her heart and again avenging her sister’s death and honoring her sister.”

As for the one who killed her sister, the cast has already revealed that Laurel will soon find out the truth that Thea (Willa Holland) did the deed, but we’ll be “surprised by her reaction,” Cassidy says. However, Sara isn’t the only one Laurel needs to avenge—after all, those left behind in Starling City believe Ra’s al Ghul (Matt Nable) killed Oliver. “She will seek vengeance on those who she feels deserves it,” Cassidy concludes.

How will Laurel handle being the Black Canary? Find out when Arrow airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.