'Arrow' Lead Actor Stephen Amell Posts An Emotional Tribute to Emily Bett Rickards Following Her Exit Announcement
Arrow actor Stephen Amell will no longer have his on-screen wife, Emily Bett Rickards, next season. Richards has announced that Season 7 would be her last and Amell has shared an emotional tribute to the actress.
Rickards plays the role of tech expert Felicity Smoak since the first season of The CW series in 2012. She initially appeared as a guest star in Season 1 and become a series regular from Season 2 onwards. Felicity eventually becomes a core member of Team Arrow, developed a romantic relationship with Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow (Amell), that led to their marriage and to her becoming stepmother to his son, William.
In her social media post over the weekend, Rickards announced that she would be leaving Arrow ahead of its eighth and final season. She thanks the Arrow fans for supporting Felicity and expressed her love for the character.
Following her announcement, Amell shared a photo of him with the actress with a touching tribute to whom he called his best friend. The actor also recalled the first time he works with Rickards and how she impressively portrays the fan-favorite character. He also revealed that Monday is their first day of filming their last episode together.
"She was a co-worker that became a best friend. So on the first day of our last episode together, I'd like everyone to know how deeply I appreciate the past seven years. EmBett we wouldn't be here without you. I love you. And I cannot wait to see what you do next," Amell wrote.
Arrow executive producers Greg Berlanti and Beth Schwartz also expressed their sadness over Rickards' decision to leave the show but said they would support the actress of her future projects. The showrunners have yet to reveal how Felicity will be written out of the series. Schwartz, however, said Rickards' exit will be addressed at the end of Season 7 and not on the premiere of the final season.
Felicity and Oliver could be living outside the city as suggested in "Star City 2040" episode. She may also go on hiding in order to protect their daughter, Mia Smoak, from the Green Arrow's enemies.
Amell earlier announced that Season 8 would be the last for Arrow. The series will return in fall for its final season with 10 episodes as compared to 23 episodes in the past seasons.
Arrow Season 7 airs Mondays at 9/8c on The CW. There will be no new episode this week. The DC superhero series will return on April 15.
