Photo: Getty Images
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe continued to dominate on the big screen, DC Comics found television success with the launch of 2012's Arrow starring Stephen Amell on the CW network. The show's first season kicked off what is now known as "The Arrowverse" due to the ever expanding cast of characters joining the comic book franchise.
However, the role of superhero and universe founder became too much for Amell, and as the actor told the hosts of Welcome to Our Show, he was feeling burned out by the show's sixth season.
“I was drained, I had been on the hamster wheel for a long time,” said Amell. “The first couple of seasons you have this adrenaline, and you can just go and go and go. That candle started to burn down, and I couldn’t bring it back up.”
“You must have been drained,” said host Zooey Deschanel. “It's a grind when you are filming 23 to 25 episodes a season.”
Amell first addressed his decision to conclude Arrow with a Facebook video in 2019. Looking back now, he says he is glad the show ended the way that it did.
“The last season, because we got to end it on our terms, was this really long goodbye,” Amell said. “We had a really good chance to think through it because it was only 10 episodes.”
Arrow aired nearly a full year after New Girl. So, what was Amell doing on a New Girl rewatch podcast? It turns out he had a guest appearance as Hannah Simone’s on-screen DJ boyfriend “Kyle” during the show’s first season.
“I remember being really intimidated (by you all) before my first day of work,” Amell said. “The night before we started shooting, I sat down to watch the World Series to try and relax, then Zooey walks out to sing the National Anthem!”
Listen to the actor's full conversation as well as Amell's current project on Welcome to Our Show, “A Conversation with Stephen Amell,” available on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you want to be sure you’re listening to the podcasts everyone else is checking out, iHeartRadio has you covered.
Every Monday, iHeartRadio releases a chart showing the most popular podcasts of the week. Stay up to date on what’s trending by checking out the chart here. There’s even a chart just for radio podcasts featuring all your favorite iHeartRadio personalities like Bobby Bones, Elvis Duran, Steve Harvey, and dozens of others.