Despite being part of a vigilante crime-fighting team, John Diggle (David Ramsey) has had an especially rough time with the law this season.
After re-joining the military and being set up as a patsy, he was sent to prison only to be broken out by Oliver (Stephen Amell) and company. After months in hiding — only coming out to join Team Arrow as Spartan — he was arrested once again after being set up by the mysterious Prometheus. Now, thanks to Oliver, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), and the legal prowess of Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra), Diggle is a free man again.
Variety spoke with Ramsey about Diggle’s freedom, his trip to Russia to meet the Bratva, and more…
Has Diggle put his current trouble with the law behind him?
Yes, I think that’s a chapter that’s behind him. We’ve seen him for most of this season being incredibly introspective — especially earlier in the season when he was willing to stay in jail to continue this penance he felt he had to pay for killing his brother — but I think he’s gone through enough of this emotional repayment.
He certainly wasn’t too happy about being broken out of prison early in the season — you mentioned him feeling like he needed to sit in penance — but how is he feeling as a free man this time around?
Now it’s back down to business, and back down to what he does well — which is seeing the blindspots on the team. Before he went back to prison he was helping and bonding with Rene (Rick Gonzalez), and you’ll see that same thing happen with Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy). He’ll serve as a bit of a welcoming committee.
Will Diggle and General Walker cross paths again this season?
I think you’ll see that final chapter. Diggle’s done with putting bullets in people, and I think he wants to see real justice done to Walker.
He missed a lot of the Black Canary drama that took place in the last couple episodes because he was in prison. What’s his initial read on the newest Black Canary, Dinah?
Diggle, like he saw with Rene, sees someone in agony. There are similarities that come about, and I think he is kindred spirits with both Rene and Dinah. He trusts her, and gains her trust fairly quickly. She’s looking for a sense of normalcy, and that’s what Diggle brings.
Diggle’s been hearing about Oliver’s time in Russia since Season 1, but the upcoming episode is the first time he’s actually going there with Ollie. What is he expecting?
He’s definitely there to watch their six, but one thing about Team Arrow is there is always one person who has the blinders on, and there is someone who calls that person on it. I think that Diggle often serves in that capacity. He calls Felicity on some of the morally compromising choices that she makes, and he’s there to watch Oliver to see how far he’ll go in terms of this alliance with the Bratva.
Anatoly (David Nykl) helped get Diggle out of a Russian gulag back in Season 2. Do they meet on this trip?
He knows Anatoly and they have some interaction, but they’re on a mission and he knows these are not good people.
“Arrow” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.
