Sydelle Noel has joined the cast of Arrow in a recurring role. Season six of Arrow is shaping up to be a bit different than the previous five years. The island flashbacks have all been told, so the flashbacks to come will serve a different purpose. Laurel Lance is still gone, but her Earth-2 counterpart will be around - most likely causing confusion and pain. Slade Wilson is back. Malcolm Merlyn is dead, and the season five cliffhanger indicates that it’s likely he won’t be the only one. Oliver’s son William will be in Ollie’s life for the first time. And while the team won’t be getting bigger, some new faces will be showing up in Star City.
One story that has been a part of the show since the beginning is the struggles Ollie faces with law enforcement as a vigilante. Sometimes the police have been on his side and they have worked together. Other times, he has been number one on the Star City PD Most Wanted List. So far on the show - in spite of The Green Arrow’s national fame - his struggles with law enforcement have remained local. But not for much longer.
Variety is reporting that Sydelle Noel is joining the show in a recurring role in season six. She is going to play an FBI agent named Samandra Watson, who comes to Star City to investigate Oliver Queen’s connection to The Green Arrow. According to the show’s producers, Watson is “Intelligent and poised with a no nonsense attitude.”
Noel has most recently been seen on the Netflix series GLOW as Cherry “Junk Chain” Bang. She will also appear in the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther as a member of the Dora Milaje - an all female group of warriors. With her short history of playing such tough fighters, it certainly sounds like she is ready to playing a character who can stand up to The Green Arrow. At the very least, she will almost certainly be able to hold her own in a physical fight.
At the Television Critics Association Press Tour this past week, Arrow EP Marc Guggenheim spoke about the importance of bringing more female characters onto the show. That has been somewhat reflected in this season’s casting announcements; such as making Katie Cassidy a regular again a year, after Laurel Lance’s death, and moving Juliana Harkavy (Dinah Drake) from recurring character to regular status. The inclusion of Noel certainly also helps with that goal.
Season 5 of Arrow premieres October 12 at 9pm on The CW.
Source: Variety
