Since Arrow's beginning, John Diggle has been the consistent moral center and wisdom-giving sage of Arrow. Now in Season 6, he's stepping in for Oliver to carry on the Green Arrow mantle, and actor David Ramsey says that's going to change the beloved side kick. Ramsey talked about the pressure his character is feeling taking over as the Green Arrow and how his secret will eventually find Diggle showing a side of himself audiences haven't previously seen:
Diggle takes this [Green Arrow] mantle very, very seriously. He takes Star City very, very seriously. Diggle had a great line many years ago that went, "Secrets are like weights --- the more you have, the harder it is to move." And for Diggle it becomes less about his guilt and more about, "I have to have these drugs to continue the mission." So we're going to see a Diggle that becomes someone we haven't really seen, in the sense that his moral compass gets comprised. You would think that, as your question implies, he is a man who'd feel some guilt, that it starts to haunt him, but it's more, "I have to continue this charade."
David Ramsey told TVLine that those black market injections are going to affect Diggle as he becomes more reliant on the drugs to continue operating in Oliver's steed. As Ramsey said, typically one would assume Diggle feels bad about this and would eventually rat himself out, but it appears the military man is committed to doing what he has to do to get the job done. That's interesting to note, as Diggle has consistently been the moral compass of Team Arrow, so what happens to the team the longer Diggle continues to compromise his values and allow his drug habit to go on?
As for ways Green Arrow changes under Diggle, David Ramsey said the Arrow crew has worked to make his character's fighting style distinctly different from Oliver's. Ramsey said Diggle's Green Arrow is a lot more brutal in his fighting compared to Oliver and utilizes a more military style of combat:
But yes, I was surprised, pleasantly, that they really committed themselves to giving me even a different fighting style. This is something Bam [supervising stunt coordinator James Bamford] and I have always talked about, that Diggle is a military-trained guy so there's not a lot of elliptical, roundhouse [moves]. This guy goes straight forward, breaking bones, trying to end the fight. We wanted to show that difference between the way those two fight as well.
With the drugs he's currently taking seemingly wearing off and requiring him to take more, ending fights quickly should be Diggle's mantra going forward on Arrow. If that tremor returns in the midst of a showdown, who knows what the consequences may be? Let's not forget there have to be side effects to a drug this sketchy, and there's no telling what could happen to Diggle out in the field if he doesn't get his fix prior to a mission, or what other problems he could start to see because of his dependence on that drug.
We'll see how Diggle fares with his problems as Arrow is all new tonight at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. For more on the series, read up on one character who will be making a return in Season 6 after a long time away, or read up on a handful of Arrow-verse characters who really grind our gears. For more on this wonderful season of fall television and where to find great shows, visit our fall premiere guide.
