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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Colton Haynes is quite the creative and talented fiend: an actor, dancer, and singer in one. When he later sampled this in a round table interview at AsiaPOP Comic Con, one reporter just had to ask, “What can’t you do?” (WATCH: Colton Haynes sings, dances for PH fans at AsiaPOP Comic Con)
“I always wanted to start acting – that was always my goal,” said the Kansas native, who also forayed into theater and considered studying musical theater. “I think that’s the most important thing – getting to do something that you love and something that makes you feel alive, and that does it for me.”
Colton is no stranger to werewolf roles. He first played it on supernatural drama, The Gates. However, he was probably more well known for his run as Jackson, a conflicted lacrosse player-turned-Kanima-turned-werewolf, on MTV’s Teen Wolf.
In recent years, he has gained even more prominence for playing the vigilante sidekick Roy Harper, code name: Arsenal, on the highly rated Arrow. About the first time he donned on the costume for the role, he said, “It just felt so cool, to actually be able to step up into that character and fight crime right alongside Oliver [Queen] and everything.”
While he already exited from these super popular shows, he recently starred in the disaster flick San Andreas. Now, he’s working on one “very, very, very sad movie” (“It’s still sad, when we finished – oh my gosh! When this movie comes out, you guys are gonna cry your eyes out,”) and at least two projects that are still under wraps.
Colton gave us a scoop about the future of his two well-known roles, and talked about his own fandoms. These are what we learned from him:
1. Colton can act, sing, and dance, but can’t do math and cook. “Those are the only things I can do – these things in the arts – luckily,” he said.
2. He had a huge welcome to Manila, by way of chopper: “We took a helicopter here, and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve probably ever done in my life – one of the most beautiful things.”
He also said that the people in Manila have been “so incredibly nice” to him: “Everyone’s just apologizing and being so nice, and I’m like, it’s so cool to be here around people that love what you do.”
3. He tried a lot of Filipino food – sinigang, bistek, and longganisa – but “there’s no way” you can persuade him to eat balut: “We totally had a whole-hour conversation about it, and I don’t think I could do that.”
“And I also ordered a burger. You can take the boy out of Kansas, but you can’t take the Kansas out of the boy,” he added.
4. “Hopefully, we do a sequel to San Andreas,” he said, adding, “The movie did really well. I think we crossed a really big milestone.”
5. Colton is a big Taylor Swift fan. “Taylor Swift for President 2020!” he exclaimed. He shared that he had even met her several times.
When asked if he had a favorite song, he said, “I think every one of her songs is amazing. I think her songwriting is just incredible.” Although he said that he “won’t do [the song] justice,” he sang a few lines from “Bad Blood.”
6. Colton had a geek moment at the Superman Returns (2006) premiere when he was just in high school. “I was like, geeking out. I’ve never done anything in the industry before,” he said.
Brandon Routh, who was Superman, later appeared as Ray Palmer on Arrow. Colton said, “I was like, ‘This is so embarrassing, I hope no one tells him that I had this weird fan moment with him.’ Now, I got to work side-by-side him, so now he knows that I was a super geek fan.”
7. He’s a fan of the comics himself, and even visited the DC headquarters and some comic book stores with his Arrow co-star Emily Bett Rickards (Felicity Smoak) in different cities.
He was also quick to reference a key plot point, “It would be really cool to see how they’re gonna do the Arsenal [arc] because I know in the comic books, he was missing an arm. So that would be really interesting to see if maybe they do that with Speedy [Thea Queen], but who knows.”
8. He would love to be in the upcoming Justice League film. “There have been no talks about it thus far,” he said, urging people to just start a campaign on social media.
9. He goes all out with Halloween costumes, and he would probably cosplay as Felicity or Diggle. “I don’t know if I could rock the dress the way she does – especially her dangerous curves,” he said about Felicity.
He was also excited about Diggle’s new costume, and even spoke with actor David Ramsey, “They’re filming right now – I was like, ‘I can’t wait to be back with you guys!’”
10. Colton admires his Arrow co-star Stephen Amell for being a family man and like “a Rolodex of information.” “You could literally name an episode, and he’ll know,” he said. “It’s really fun to bounce ideas off him, and know that he’s gonna know the information, which is really cool.”
11. He allegedly knows how to do the Salmon Ladder better than Diggle (David Ramsey). “If he sees [this, he’ll] get mad at me ‘cause it’s a lie,” he quipped.
12. He thinks there’s not much difference between his characters Jackson and Roy. “Jackson didn’t have a father, and was always trying to impress the father he never had. So, he had this very big complex. Roy is almost the same way,” Colton said.
However he said that Jackson was, at least for him, inadvertently comical: “For some reason, I didn’t realize going into it that the lines were supposed to be funny, but when they get together and have these watch parties at Jeff Davis’s house – he’s the creator – everyone would laugh at my lines. I’m like, ‘What did I do wrong?’ And they’re like, ‘That’s actually funny.’
13. There are bits from every character that he has played that resonates with Colton. He thinks that Roy is “closed off” and has a “hard edge” to his character, which he said is unlike him. “I like to think I’m pretty friendly, but he also does have that side of his character,” he said.
Colton explained, “I’m probably more like Roy when he’s being nice, and I could be a little emotional like Jackson, too. But I don’t think I’m as catty as Jackson. I don’t think I’m like, trying to run people over with my Porsche.
14. The best thing about comic-based TV shows are the relatable charaters, he says: “Like people look at Roy, and be like, ‘I resonate with him,’ or with Diggle, or with Felicity finally being a very strong woman on camera.” He said that it’s great to have this kind of diversity in these shows, “It’s really nice to give voices to so many more people, and I think that’s incredible.”
15. Inside scoop: he may return to Arrow and its spinoff shows. “It’s one call away. You will definitely be seeing me back onArrow and possibly a few of the other spinoff shows going forward,” said Colton.
He also would love to appear on The Flash. “If it happens, it’s going to blow everyone’s minds. That’s if it happens…” he said, as he winked at us, “I think we’re confirming.”
16. Colton on the state of television: “TV has just continued to change for the better.” He cited showrunners Greg Berlanti (Arrow) and Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal), and said “Everyone [is] just bringing so many diverse characters into television. That’s so important.”
He even praised his good friend Gina Rodriguez, the lead actress on Jane the Virgin, who won the Golden Globe among many accolades. “I don’t know if that could have happened a couple of years ago, so TV has gone so far and it’s only gonna continue to go farther,” said Colton.
17. His message for the fans: “We’re having a blast. I’ll never forget this trip, and thank you guys for supporting me and not being mean to me on social media,” he said, saying that he tries to comment and like/favorite as much as he can.
He said, “I think social media is a good way and a good outlet to really speak your mind, and I have not, luckily, had a lot of haters – which makes me feel really good… But you guys have been incredible, and hopefully you stick around for the future and for the ride.” – Rappler.com
Paolo Abad is a film/television editor and motion graphic designer. He is also a self-confessed concert junkie. Follow his Instagram for live music @outoftunephoto
More from Asia Pop Comic Con 2015:
- WATCH: Colton Haynes sings, dances for PH fans at AsiaPOP Comic Con
- 17 fun facts about ‘Arrow’ star Colton Haynes
- ‘Game of Thrones’ star Nathalie Emmanuel: 14 things about life inside and outside Westeros
- IN PHOTOS: Celebrity guests, cosplayers, exhibits at AsiaPOP Comic Con 2015
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