They Haven't Acted Since Arrow Ended. Here's Why

When "Arrow" began in late 2012, no one could have ever imagined just how successful this series would be. Now, nearly a decade later, the show has spawned an entire television universe consisting of 11 original television series with nearly 40 seasons and over 600 episodes and counting. If one were to play every episode in the Arrowverse play back-to-back without interruption, it would take nearly a month for it to finish. And it was all thanks to that CW show about Oliver Queen.

It's not surprising that many "Arrow" stars launched into successful careers after they left the show. What is surprising, however, is just how many actors from "Arrow" have not yet managed to make that leap. For actors who stuck with the show until its very end in January 2020, the pandemic that gripped the world just two months later likely didn't help. Even so, these cast members haven't acted since "Arrow" ended and here is why. 

The daughter of 1970s popstar David Cassidy and fashion model Sherry Williams, Katie Cassidy starred in a number of horror films, including "When a Stranger Calls," "Black Christmas," and the 2010 "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake. She also had a supporting role in Liam Neeson's "Taken" and recurring roles in "Gossip Girl," "Melrose Place," and "Supernatural."

In "Arrow," Katie Cassidy played Laurel Lance, a lawyer and high school sweetheart of Oliver Queen. The show didn't keep the pair romantically linked for long, but Laurel eventually transformed into the Black Canary in Season 3. After Laurel's death in Season 4, Cassidy left the show for a short time before returning as the sometimes-evil doppelganger of Laurel Lance from an alternate universe. 

Though she hasn't appeared on-screen since "Arrow" ended, she has been quite busy. The show's final season had a backdoor pilot for a series titled "Green Arrow and the Canaries" that would have featured Cassidy as one of its three major leads. That series was ultimately cancelled, which "Arrow" creator Marc Guggenheim partially attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic,  though plans to move it to HBO Max were considered. 

Her personal life has also likely kept the actress busy. Cassidy filed for divorce in January of 2020 and finalized the settlement in March 2021. She has since begun selling original NFTs of her personal photography. Cassidy is set to make her return to the screen for the first time since the pandemic began in Mel Gibson's indie spy thriller "Agent Game."

The child of a cinematographer and an actress, as well as the stepdaughter of Brian De Palma, Willa Holland began her life in show business at a remarkably young age. She began modeling at age seven and starring in commercials by eight. She found her first significant acting role as Kaitlin Cooper on "The O.C." before joining the cast of "Gossip Girl" and the "Kingdom Hearts" video game series. 

In "Arrow," Holland played Thea Queen, Oliver's younger sister. In the beginning, Thea was an edgy, rebellious teen due to the loss of her father and brother. When Oliver returned, their relationship was constantly strained by the lies Oliver kept telling to cover for his super-heroic activities. This eventually drove her to train under Malcolm Merlyn, but when Oliver finally told her the truth, Thea thanked him and began fighting crime at his side as Speedy. 

Holland originally left "Arrow" during Season 6. Executive producer Marc Guggenheim told Entertainment Weekly that Holland asked for a reduced role to have "some more time for herself[.]" Despite the fact that she returned in a recurring role for the show's final season, it seems that she has done exactly that. The only acting work she's taken on has been to reprise her previous role as the English voice of Aqua in the "Kingdom Hearts" video game series, and she has no other upcoming projects scheduled at this time. Holland has kept herself almost completely out of the limelight, and her fans will just have to wait and see if that changes any time soon. 

Before she joined the cast of "Arrow," Juliana Harkavy was most well known for her roles in "Dolphin Tale," "To Write Love on Her Arms," and "The Walking Dead." She had a small roll in the proto-Arrowverse show "Constantine" in 2014 before she was eventually cast in "Arrow" as Dinah Drake.

Drake is a Central City Police Detective who received super-sonic screaming powers when the particle accelerator exploded in the first episode "The Flash." Although the character's name is an homage to the original Black Canary in the comics, their backstories are otherwise completely unrelated. Dinah was introduced in Season 5 to replace the late Laurel Lance as the new Black Canary. She served as a member of Team Arrow until the show's end, first as a vigilante and later as an official member of the Star City Police Department. 

By the time "Arrow" ended, Harkavy was set to continue playing Dinah Drake in a new spinoff titled "Green Arrow and the Canaries" as one of its three leads. Due to the pandemic, however, the CW ultimately passed on the series, leaving Harkavy without any announced upcoming projects or any real headlines — though this may change as the pandemic begins to end and productions start ramping up once again. 

Before she joined the cast of "Arrow," Audrie Marie Anderson was known for her recurring roles in "Once and Again," "The Unit," and "The Walking Dead." 

In "Arrow," Anderson played Lyla Michaels. She served alongside John Diggle in the army before they retired together, were married, and then divorced. Lyla became an agent of ARGUS and met Diggle again years later while helping him find Deadshot, after which she became a recurring ally for Team Arrow and even became the director of her clandestine organization. When "Crisis on Infinite Earths" hit in 2019, Lyla was transformed by the Monitor into a cosmic superheroine named "Harbinger" who did her best to help end the crisis. 

Anderson hasn't appeared on-screen to-date since the show ended, and there isn't a clear reason why. It's safe to assume the pandemic didn't help matters, but Anderson seems to have kept out of headlines and off of social media regardless. If Ramsey's John Diggle does become the star of the oft-rumored "Green Lantern" television series, however, it would make sense for Lyla to appear in the show as well. Time will tell. 

David Nykl is likely still best known for his role as Dr. Radek Zelenka in "Stargate: Atlantis," though he's also had significant roles in "The Sleepers," "Cold Squad," and "Call of the Wild." In "Arrow," David Nykl played Anatoly Knyazev, a former KGB agent turned Russian mobster who Oliver helped escape from the island and who later helped Oliver join the Bratva in order to kill a man named Konstantin Kovar. 

Anatoly would become a frequent ally of Team Arrow, helping Oliver whenever he needed the kind of assistance that only the underworld can provide. The pair were enemies for a time after Oliver thwarted one of Anatoly's crimes, though the two had made amends by the series' end. Since then, Nykl has been working on a comedy time travel movie titled "Time Helmet" and is scheduled to begin appearing at conventions again now that the pandemic is slowing down.

Sebastian Dunn is best known for roles in "Downton Abbey," "Blackwood," and, course, "Arrow." Dunn played Edward Fyers, a mercenary who captured and tortured Oliver in the island flashbacks in Season 1. Oliver ultimately escaped and spent the rest of the season opposing Fyers' operations until eventually killing him in the finale. 

Dunn reprised the role for a single episode in 2019 for "Arrow's" final season, but hasn't appeared onscreen since, and his activities since then are a bit of a mystery. He appeared in "Blackwood" and "Downton Abby" after "Arrow" but seemingly stopped acting altogether afterwards with the sole exception of his Season 8 appearance. Bizarrely, there is no record of Dunn doing anything else either. 

He has only acted once in the last seven years, and apart from that, there's just ... nothing. According to a CV found on Spotlight.com, he has appeared in a number of plays, but it doesn't provide any dates. His film "Blackwood" was a bomb, but he went on to several roles after that, so it's unclear whether or not its failure even impacted his career. 

He may have called it quits after "Blackwood" bombed, or he might be spending his time writing and directing or acting in plays. He may have switched careers, or he might simply have retired entirely. No matter what, his digital paper trail has gone cold.