It goes without saying, one of the most under-represented communities when it comes to perhaps what is currently the most over-represented genre in media, the superhero genre, is the LGBTQ world. Usually dismissed when comic films and series are conceived, LGBTQ characters get rejected from these stories for a number of reasons, like the facts that writers and producers make the common mistake of thinking that there isn't a fan-base out there, as well as that they believe it will alienate the current fan-base which has always been thought of as male-dominated, not to mention that not many characters upon creation were designed LGBTQ. However, things are finally moving forward, and storytellers are seeing not only the excitement from this fan-base that is very much devoted to these stories, but also that this is part of the real world that should be represented- and one person that couldn't be happier to be a part of that narrative is the extremely inspiring actress, Caity Lotz.
Beautiful inside and out, the luminous Lotz cites the reaction from LGBTQ fans who are so overjoyed to be given a voice in this genre as her favorite part of playing the butt-kicking beauty Sara Lance on Legends Of Tomorrow. Having been a strong staple of the fandom universe for a while after starring on Arrow for two seasons, Lotz realizes the tremendous power and influence that these shows have over the world and the devotion of their fans, and the idea of being part of the message to a disenfranchised community that they too are welcome has become her biggest joy in coming to work every day.
And that joy is very much requited. Not only do those fans who have once felt left out now feel reached and included, Lotz has reached a wide audience of dedicated followers who have grown to consider her one of the greatest queens of fandom television. Extremely admired for her talent and charm, the actress has grown to an iconic stature that is easily becoming as legendary as the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Lucy Lawless on Xena: Warrior Princess, easily making this exciting star also a strong role model for women everywhere. A diverse talent with many different specialties, Lotz is well-trained not only in acting, but also in dance and martial arts, definitely making her one to watch out for in a big way.
As Legends Of Tomorrow kicks off to a great start, the terrific talent took a moment to answer some questions about what fans can expect this season, what she loves about playing Sara Lance, and what she would love to do in the future. Read on for more!
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With "Legends Of Tomorrow" now back for its second season, can you tell fans any scoop of what to expect, particularly with your character Sara Lance?
She's come into a unique position this season. She's got a cool little journey. Just reading these scripts, I think it's so much better than season one. Not that season one wasn't great, but it was still finding itself. Now the show has really found it's voice, and the writers have really found the character's voices and can make them more distinct. So, it's a lot of fun. I think people are really going to dig it.
With so many time jumps and incarnations of your character, do you ever get confused? Do you keep your own canon journal?
I don't ever really get confused, because as much as we might jump through time, I know that I always have to come in and be the same character. So far, on Legends Of Tomorrow, I'm always this version of Sara, just in different situations. One thing that makes it complicated is that when I'm dressed in the clothes of whatever era, I naturally, as an actress, want to assume that kind of character. I would think maybe Sara should be bubbly and happy if she's in go-go boots and a leather jacket, but at the end of the day you still have to keep your character even when you're not dressed and don't feel like that character.
When I spoke with Katrina Law, who recurs as Nyssa al Ghul on both "Arrow" and "Legends Of Tomorrow," she spoke about the importance of representation of women in the superhero genre and how both these shows beautifully do that. Would you like to touch on that a bit? How does it feel to know you are making such an impact for little girls?
I can only hope that it does. I play the role, and if people say that it makes them feel stronger, that is so great. I know when I watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens I was really impressed. When I was growing up, the roles put forth for us to admire was the princess, or maybe Jeannie in I Dream Of Jeannie, and she's sort of chained up! [Chuckles] And granted, she's still an awesome character, but you get the idea. And now, here's this girl that comes along and she's the Jedi! As a little girl now you get to grow up thinking you can also be the Jedi. That's pretty cool. So, I'm hoping that the same way that I felt when I watched Star Wars is the way that I can inspire other women and little girls to feel empowered. That would be amazing.
And of course, one community that is tremendously under-represented in the superhero community is the LGBTQ community, and your character has now helped give a voice to that fan-base. Can you touch on that?
That's actually what I think is one of my favorite things about this character. I truly feel honored to be embraced by the LGBTQ community and to be able to be a positive representation, and help kids out there watch and think; "Wow, that person out there on TV is just like me! It's okay! It's normal." And also inspire them to know that they can be heroes as well. And it's also great to help introduce these characters to people who might not be used to seeing LGBTQ characters on television, and let them grow to love these characters and know they are just like everyone else. That for me has been really one of the greatest parts of all this. I didn't know that it would turn into my favorite part, but just seeing how much it meant to people, that has definitely become my favorite thing about playing this character.
On "Legends of Tomorrow," you really get to experience so many diverse universes and wear a lot of fun costumes. Was any particular setting or episode a stand out to you? Is there any type of setting or time period you wished they would do?
This season has been awesome! I love the outfits! It's like getting an amazing Halloween outfit every episode. It's so fun, it's playing dress-up. I just shot something where I got to wear the most beautiful dress. Another episode we are in Japan, and that was really amazing as well. I have really cool fight scenes and the wonderful light shoes and flowy clothes really allowed me freedom for great fight choreography. So, I also think the clothes is a huge draw for me! Our costume designer, Vicky Mulholland, and I really have so much fun. We made a decision to just go all the way and not hold back, and it's been a great time.
You are going to be in the film “Small Town Crime” with a great cast including John Hawkes, Octavia Spencer and Anthony Anderson. What can you say about that film and the fantastic company that you're in?
John Hawkes is fantastic! All of my scenes were with him. Everyone was great. It was really fun for me just to get on to another set. [Laughs] I've been playing Sara Lance for so long now, so it's been great to play a new character and be in a whole new vibe. After a while you become a family, and you're together so often, so it's good to shake things up and make yourself nervous again- and it definitely felt that way to work with such great actors. John Hawkes was nominated for an Academy Award, so I was just sitting there thinking to myself; "I hope I still got it!" [Snickers sweetly] It's a fun movie, and it was great to be a part of.
You have an extremely unique style that blends a wide array of talents including acting, dance, and martial arts- and you can even sing. You and Quentin Tarantino should pair up to make an action musical! Would you ever be interested in doing a musical? Talk about what other kinds of roles you would be interested in playing, and who would love to work with in the business.
Wow, can I take you everywhere and have you give them that description? That makes me sound good! [Cracks up] Thank you so much! Where do I even begin? I would love to do a big action film. Doing action in television is much different than on film, you don't get as much time. It would be incredible to have the time to get to do some amazing fight choreography and really train for it. I would just love that. But, I would also love to do a great drama piece- something where I'm not killing anyone, or punching anyone in the face. [Giggles] It's good to keep things all mixed up. I don't want to get too pigeonholed. But the idea of working with Quentin Tarantino? Of course! I would do anything Tarantino wanted to do. And if it was a musical? Please, let's do it! Maybe him and Baz Luhrmann can team up and make me an action musical!
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It appears that Lotz just came up with what could perhaps be one of the biggest epic hits of the century. Having already made genre-bending versions of almost every classic type of film including noir, western, romance, horror, comedy and action, a musical seems to be one of the only genres that the iconic director has yet to tackle- and the idea of an action musical with his witty dialogue, a la Kill Bill, and Baz Lurhmann's soundtrack, a la Moulin Rouge, with Lotz in a leading role could make fans pack the theater in droves! And no matter what time period whichever amazing director decides to set the movie in, there's no doubt that Lotz has already had tons of practice on Legends Of Tomorrow.
Legends Of Tomorrow continues every Thursday night at 8/7c on The CW.