While Arrow pays homage to its past, Connor Hawke actor Joseph David-Jones is looking to the future. After all, that's where Connor grew up. The son of Ben "Bronze Tiger" Turner, Connor was adopted by John Diggle and Lyla Michaels after his father was killed. He was raised alongside their son JJ, who eventually broke bad and became leader of the Deathstroke gang. Connor, on the other hand, followed in Diggle's footsteps to become an agent in a covert military organization. Now, he is on a mission to stop his brother from terrorizing Star City in 2040.
Or at least, he was. In last week's episode, Connor, Mia Smoak and William Clayton-Queen were transported back to 2019, where they met with their (much younger) parents. Speaking to CBR, David-Jones promised "big, big things" for the reunion episode and teased that it features his favorite scene so far. He also discussed his post-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" role in the Arrowverse, whether he'd be interested in returning to DC's Legends of Tomorrow, how he and Charlie Barnett helped develop their brotherly relationship and more.
CBR: When you joined the Arrowverse three years ago in DC's Legends of Tomorrow Season 2, did you ever imagine you'd end up where you are today?
David-Jones: Honestly, no. I kind of thought I would end up being a member of the crew on Legends! So once things went in a different direction with Arrow this season, and then with the entire tone of the show, I guess, I thought I wouldn't really revisit the character anymore. So flash-forward three years later, I get a call from the production offices here at Arrow and they were interested in revisiting Connor and I was like, "Oh, wow!"
Would you like to go back to Legends of Tomorrow at some point? Is that on the table for you?
It really depends on what direction they take now with this spinoff that they're doing with the Canaries, because there's still a chance that we could see Connor in this next version of Arrow, this spinoff from Arrow. So I would not be close to being on Legends. I think, especially because of the tone and them being so self-aware of what their show is, it would be so much fun to be on Legends, or to do like, you know, technically something on there, some sort of appearance, would be amazing, but I'll see where things go post-Arrow.
What kind of role do you play in Green Arrow and the Canaries?
We don't know! We don't know. I'm trying not to give anything away or spoil anything, only to say that both parties are sort of interested in exploring where Connor goes more post-"Crisis." So we'll see if we make something work. It'd be a lot of fun to be in the spinoff.
What aspect of Connor's personality do you relate to the most?
I think his need to do the right thing, as cheesy as that sounds. There's a great moral compass on Connor, even though a lot of the times he's coming up short, and we'll see that especially in this season. There's a hefty weight on him, and with that comes this desire to do the right thing. Unfortunately, I would say both of us blame ourselves for things that are out of our control. That definitely comes through as well, especially in these next few episodes. I think at the core of Connor, is there's a lot of me in there and vice versa. We both carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.
Particularly last year, the flash-forwards were about legacy, and Connor may have the most complicated legacy of all these characters. How does he continue to approach that this year?
Oh, man. It's funny because we're essentially on a different timeline with Connor. It's like revisiting a character and trying to think, "Okay, what pieces or what parts of this guy are the same? And what parts are different?" So it's been about re-finding where I fit in with this new show and this new narrative.
It's difficult, because I don't find out till maybe like an episode before we shoot the episode where, you know, it reveals something. Like, I'll get a call and it's like, "This is what we've decided" or "This is where we want to go with Connor." Sometimes, it aligns with my own thoughts for him from before that and sometimes it's completely different and it's like trying to adjust and trying to pivot towards where the story is now.
I started shooting last season and I was about two episodes in before the writers and the producers called me and they're like, "Hey, we're thinking that you're going to be Bronze Tiger's son and we're going to bring him back in and we're going to change him and make him a good guy." So for two episodes, I wasn't really aware of what my backstory was, and then I got the call and it was like, "This is what we settled on." So it's interesting! It's an interesting reversal.
Tell me about working with Charlie Barnett, who plays JJ Diggle, particularly during that brotherly heart-to-heart they had in "Welcome to Hong Kong."
It's funny, because we'd met up maybe two or three days prior and spent hours working on what our history was together. Who we were, specific memories that we had, things we would call each other. Something just to be able to live with each other and have that history and have that relationship. It was great, you know?
We get to play around a lot -- a lot of the lines, thank goodness to the writers, they were flexible with and they let us sort of find what the feeling was in those scenes. So some of the lines are as written line-for-line and some of the lines were us talking to each other as brothers and putting in a lot of work prior to that to be able to do that, knowing what our history was and knowing what we were trying to say deep at its core.
That day specifically was an incredibly hot day, so I feel bad for a lot of people who were just there in the Deathstroke outfits, and then it was hot for us just being in jackets. We were in this tent over the top of the warehouse and the heat is just boiling in this thing. We were like sardines in a can or something. We shot our scene together, I want to say, nine hours into being there. It was tough, but it added to the scene. It added to the pinches of frustration in the scene. We were exhausted and sweating. But no, it's so much fun working with Charlie. He's such an amazing person to work with and such a generous actor.
Do you believe JJ is capable of redemption?
Me, personally? It's tough, because I do. You know, the thing is, just because of what we've worked on, if JJ is not capable of redemption, then that means that it's Connor's fault for him ending up that way. The blame is all on him because he's the reason that he turned out that way. So like, to him, he can't be beyond saving. He's still JJ. He's still someone that can be saved. Because if he's not, he ruined his life. Him coming in, him sort of being in the family, that caused it. I think, in my heart, no one is beyond redemption. I think it'll be interesting where things go... There's still a lot of care for Connor that JJ has. We'll see.
How does Connor's relationship with Mia continue to evolve?
Obviously, in these first couple episodes, it's still growing pains from trying to figure out what this new team dynamic is and not knowing how everything comes into play with it. So there's a bit of butting heads with coming up with plans and how it actually gets carried out. I think that in itself is a tough adjustment to make, and also to care for someone as deeply as they care for each other. There's still a lot of chemistry and a lot of connection that these two have. So it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out in the next coming episodes, because Connor really does care about Mia and vice versa. It's just hard because so many things are happening and it's all building up to "Crisis," you know? So they'll have moments, but those moments are short-lived.
What is your involvement with "Crisis on Infinite Earths?"
I know they're keeping everything about "Crisis" as close to the chest as they can. I can't say! You're going to have to just find out when "Crisis" happens. Warner Bros. will come after me if I say anything else.
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from an upcoming episode?
It's tough, because the one [from "Welcome to Hong Kong"] was my favorite one to work on. You know what? I think overall my favorite episode to shoot, like the one that I really loved the most, is going to be episode four. I can't give away episode four. But some big, big things are going to be happening in episode four. The arc that the future kids are on right now is going to come all the way to a head in episode four. I cannot wait for people to see it. It's going to be crazy. So that was probably my favorite to shoot.
What would be your dream arc for Connor?
I'd really love for him to be back in the suit, and to find out a way to make that happen. There is a version of Connor who ends up becoming Red Arrow. Sort of similar to this Connor that I have now, he works for this government organization and he goes under the codename Red Arrow. So I'd love to either be back in the Green Arrow mantle or to be this version of Red Arrow with Connor.
Airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Arrow's final season stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Katie Cassidy as Black Siren, Katherine McNamara as Mia Smoak, Joseph David-Jones as Connor Hawke and Ben Lewis as William Clayton-Queen.