Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles star Stephen Amell on landing the role of Casey, making film number three and meeting Megan Fox
The 35-year-old actor previously starred in TV shows Arrow and The Vampire Diaries
STEPHEN Amell is one to watch.
After getting started with an impressive career in TV, the 35-year-old actor snapped up the role of Casey Jones in the sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Out of the Shadows, starring alongside Megan Fox.
Not bad for his first starring role in a .
The movie, which is out now on DVD, sees corrections officer Casey Jones (Amell) joining forces with Turtle-ally April O'Neil (Fox) - so no doubt the pair worked together closely.
Here, Stephen tells us what it was like working with the A-lister and if he'd return for another Turtles movie...
Hi Stephen. How does it feel to be a part of the Turtles franchise?
It's pretty cool. I really like being involved with projects with passionate fan bases, with fan bases that have expectations and opinions. It’s a cool place to be in.
What attracted you to the film?
I like that you think enough of me to think that I have a whole lot of say in what I aim to do in my career (laughs). I’m still a very young actor. So it was really just the opportunity. I certainly don’t know what the secret sauce is, but I do know that people love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So just to be a part of this universe, to play such an iconic character like Casey Jones, it just seemed like a no-brainer.
What was it like working with Megan?
Great. This is my first feature film of any type. There were certain things that she had learned, this being her 3rd or 4th movie on this type of scale, that were incredibly helpful to me. I’d be like, “What’s going on?” And she’d explain it to me. So she was very helpful and very giving to me on set. I was fortunate to work with her.
How did it compare with your role in Arrow?
On a feature film you just have so much more time, relative to when you’re working on a TV show. Sure, when we go and film at a specific location, like the base of the Statue of Liberty, clearly we only have one night to get the shot. But in most other instances we film the scene and if we don’t finish it, you just come back and do it again. We shot my final fight sequence - something that we’d do in ¾ of a day on Arrow – in five days. With that extra time comes more creative freedom.
What's it like filming in New York?
Every actor should work in New York at some point in time, because filming on the streets of New York is unlike anything else. In any other place, you shut down the streets when you’re filming. Well, you can’t shut down the streets in Manhattan. One of my first days filming was on a Monday night and the first scene I shot was getting out of a car just south of Times Square. There’s literally thousands of people that are there, snapping photos, talking, walking by...
How did you make the character of Casey your own?
I always go in with a game plan, but it’s totally pliable to whatever other people around me are doing. One of the first things we shot on this film was when Casey meets the Turtles for the first time. I needed to be freaked out and flabbergasted, and also a little bit afraid of them. Beyond that, you just trust your team. We had (director) Dave Green and the writers on set, always coming up with ideas, alternative lines and little jokes I could throw in. I just put myself in their hands.
Would you return for another movie?
Happily. If we’re lucky enough to make a third one and they’re nice enough to ask me back, I will come.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of The Shadows is available on Digital, DVD and Blu-ray now.