Justin Hartley played the title role in The CW’s unaired pilot Aquaman, before moving on to the role of Green Arrow/Oliver Queen in Smallville. He talks to us about Heroes, archery and working with blue screen. Words: Abbie Bernstein

Were you familiar with Green Arrow at all when you took the job?

I was a little bit. I was kind of a novice to it. I mean, obviously, I’d heard of him. I didn’t know enough about him to know that he didn’t have any superpowers. I didn’t even know that much, so I wasn’t well versed on it.

When this was first offered to you, did you think ‘Boy, I’ve always wanted to do this!' or was it more like ‘How am I going to do this?’

I had just come off the Aquaman pilot, so I was in the groove. I had just done it.

Did you have those thoughts when you first got Aquaman?

No. You have all the physical stuff and you have stunt guys, but to me, it’s all about the acting that’s involved. And I’ve never questioned whether I could do it or not.

When you joined Smallville, did you ever ask Tom Welling for tips on playing a superhero?

Oh, no, we didn’t have any conversations, because it’s two different characters and what he does is a lot different than what someone else would do.

Tom Welling directed the ‘Justice’ episode. How was it being directed by him?

That was great. I was a little bit wary at first – I didn’t know what to expect – but Tom is great. He knows how to talk to actors. He knows what he wants, he’s very specific, all of his direction make sense – he’s a fantastic director.

Who’s taller - you or Tom Welling?

Tom’s got me by a little bit. I have boots on. I’m not short, I’m six-two, but I’m probably about six-three right now. It’s hard to find somebody taller than Tom. He’s a big dude.

Do you feel there are similarities between Smallville and Heroes?

I love Heroes and I love Smallville…To me, they’re two completely different shows. They have two totally different themes, totally different demographics, they address different things. I don’t see them as the same at all, actually.

How is it doing love scenes with Erica Durance as Lois Lane?

[laughs] Yeah, my life is tough, right? I know.

What’s the harder part of the role, playing Green Arrow or Oliver Queen?

That’s a good question. I think the superhero aspect of it, just because you have on all this gear, and a lot of the [superhero] dialogue doesn’t flow off your tongue like the other stuff does. It’s more of a physical thing that I’m talking about, a stance and a presence and all this stuff that’s just not what we naturally do. We lean on one leg – that’s just not what superheroes do. So it’s more of a physical thing.

How is it working with green screen?

I like that stuff. That’s a lot of fun. I’m in front of a blue screen because of the [green] costume.

What do you think of the Green Arrow costume?

I liked it. I thought it was pretty cool. I guess it’s one of those things that’s hard to pull off, but it was fine.

What about the eye-covering?

It’s interesting you bring that up, because I couldn’t see a damn thing. And most of the scenes when I was doing the hero stuff were dark, the sets were really dark, and I had the glasses on. I couldn’t see anything. And I’m shooting arrows!

Were there any mishaps?

I never hit anybody – ‘Clear the set, Justin’s going to shoot an arrow!’ [laughs]

Did you have to take archery lessons?

I knew a little bit – I had to take pretty extensive courses. I learned quite a lot about it.

Do you think Smallville fans are loyal enough to hang on no matter what the other networks throw up against it?

I would think so. I do that sometimes with my shows. I don’t really pay attention – if something catches my eye, if it’s on during one of my shows, I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, that looks really cool. I can’t watch it, though!’

What other shows do you like?

Oh, man. I’m a 24 guy. That’s just a recent thing, though. I love The Unit. West Wing’s my favorite show of all time. I know it’s cancelled, but it’s my favorite show ever. I’m a huge [Aaron] Sorkin fan and that would be my ultimate goal, to have that guy write a part that I would play. I love that guy. And Heroes – we like Heroes.

Do you enjoy the fantasy/sci-fi genre as a viewer?

Yeah, I do. I get a kick out of it. I think it’s fun. As an example, I had seen Smallville before I was on it. I enjoy it.

Do you have a favourite scene that you’ve done on Smallville?

You know what was really fun for me, was the break-up scene [between Oliver and Lois]. Shooting that scene with Erica was fun. It was exhausting…That poor girl was in and out of crying for seven hours or whatever it was. But we managed to get through it, I think it looked really good. I have so many memorable moments – just walking out for the first time in the tights!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to the Smallville audience?

Thank you. I’m lucky. I’m just thankful.

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