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By Melissa (Age 26, USA)
When Oliver Queen shows up on Smallville, there’s a sense of security he carries with him. No one’s ever quite sure what Clark Kent has planned (or how sympathetic he’ll be to the bad guys) but the Green Arrow is the guy to count on. He’s loyal, tough, and walks a line that’s firmly black and white. Justin Hartley shares a lot of the same tendencies as his alter ego, Oliver Queen. Justin’s a family guy, definitely loyal and sticks up for his friends. He’s well loved by cast, crew, and the fans and with good reason. Justin’s the kind of guy that we want our heroes to be.
Justin grew up in Illinois and moved to Los Angeles in with a goal of becoming an actor. “It was a long road,” confesses Justin. “I came out after college, wanting to act. It was a big move and I got here and flipped out. But the bottom line is, that’s what you do.” He got his first big break with the role of Fox Crane on the soap opera “Passions”. His character quickly became a favorite as did Justin among fans. “He fits right in,” says Lindsay Korman (Theresa on Passions). “He cares about his work and is always prepared. He’s really there for the show, and I think its wonderful to have new people come on who care a lot about our job.” Justin costarred with Lindsay Korman for several years, starting a fictional relationship but eventually they hit it off in real life and later she would become his wife.
Despite Justin’s success on “Passions”, it wasn’t until he filmed a pilot for a new CW series “Aquaman” based on the DC Comics superhero whose powers are derived from and used in the water. While “Aquaman” wasn’t picked up, in large part due to the high costs of producing a show that works so much in water, it remains one of the most popular pilots for any show on the CW. Viewers loved Justin Hartley and clamored to see more of the talented young actor. “My work on Aquaman is something that I’m really proud of. People got to see my work ethic. I think that translated into a role on Smallville,” says Justin. Clearly the CW saw it and loved Justin too as he was brought to Smallville for a seven episode arc as the boy billionaire Oliver Queen who masquerades as vigilante hero Green Arrow.
The character of Oliver Queen and his Green Arrow alter ego proved immensely popular with the fans of Smallville. “Justin did an amazing job,” gushes Smallville creator Alfred Gough. “He completely inhabits the role. He’s got charisma and charm and acting chops and the physicality for the role. I think he surprised and amazed us.” Justin’s arc kept getting extended until in 2008 for the eighth season, Justin was made a regular character. Justin quote Oliver has gone through a lot on Smallville. He lost his girlfriend, Lois Lane, and fell apart internally as he struggled to decide what kind of man and then what kind of hero he would be. Through it all, Justin stepped above & beyond as an actor, fleshing out the character and proving he deserved to be a fan favorite.
Oliver Queen is a character who values his family (although its an alternative family rather than born into it). In his personal life, Justin is also a family man. He and his wife Lindsay have been married for seven years now and another daughter was born in 2004. Friends see and value Justin’s family focus. Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville’s Lex Luthor) commented that “Justin is a great guy. He has such a beautiful little girl, a beautiful wife and I hung out with them one night. We had dinner; he’s a family man who is funny & charming. I was looking at him thinking, ‘I kind of want this life.’ I was envious. I respect Justin and he’s a fun person to work with.” Clearly both Justin & Oliver share in traditional values and focusing on the people who matter in our lives. At this year’s Comic Con in fact, many fans noticed that the other Smallville stars pretty much came in for the panel and left and weren’t gracious to fans at all. Not Justin. “Justin Hartley, the class act of the show made up for his co-stars pisspoor attitude by signing up a storm upon departing for Comic-Con. He apologized for not having time to sign more and promised if he saw us upon arriving, he would do the rest. Now there is a class act,” mentioned fans.
Since beginning on Smallville, Justin has added writer to his resume, completing a script for the show. This year, with the final season of Smallville looming, Justin is also moving into directing. He admitted he was nervous though. “It’s really late in the game so I [hope] I couldn’t really mess things up at that point, right? Or I could ruin it”. We’re confident Justin will do just fine. It seems to be a trend to move behind the scenes in Smallville and learn about more than just acting. That will no doubt be helpful to Justin as he looks at moving on from Smallville. Rumors have been swirling for a while about a Green Arrow or Justice League spinoff. Justin’s in favor of the idea, “I’d be up to having a conversation about a spinoff. In what capacity I don’t know, but yeah, definitely. I enjoy the character and its fun. Stuff like that is kind of up my alley.” There’s still no official word but since this is the last season of Smallville, we should hear something soon. Many fans are certainly hoping to continue to see Justin on their screen. With all his talent, it is reassuring to know Justin will be an important actor for years to come.
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