Justin Hartley Compares His Tracker Character to Smallville’s Green Arrow.
Before Justin Hartley found huge success as Kevin Pearson on NBC’s This is Us, he was known for playing Green Arrow on Smallville. The actor, who now leads the cast of the action drama Tracker, says there are similarities between the bow-wielding vigilante and his new character, Colter Shaw.
Speaking to ComicBook, Hartley explained how every character he’s played has influenced his next performance. “I personally try to learn from every character I’ve played,” he said. “In life, hopefully you change for the better. Maybe not, but adapt and hopefully become a better person. I think I try to keep the characters different, because they’re all so different, but I like to make a list of things I have in common with the characters I’m playing and things I don’t have in common with them. That’s how I started.”
“It’s interesting, for this one, I made a list of Kevin Pearson and Colter Shaw, because I’ve been playing Kevin Pearson for a long time,” Hartely continued. “But I never really thought about Green Arrow. He’s a loner sometimes, really. He has strong beliefs about certain things. I think Oliver, the way I play him, is a little more driven than Colter. I don’t know if Colter necessarily is.”
“Coulter, you could call him a vigilante in a lot of ways. He breaks the law sometimes. He does what he has to do to get the job done. Oliver is the same way. Maybe a little more daring. He definitely has more resources. He’s richer. And he dresses differently,” Hartley added, before Tracker showrunner Elwood Reid said the upcoming season will feature a nod to Hartley’s Smallville character. “We’ll have a wink at Green Arrow, you’ll see,” he said. “There’s something there.”
Tracker Season 2, originally set to premiere Oct. 27, will premiere Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET, serving as a lead-in to the Big Brother season finale. Adapted for television by Ben H. Winters, the series follows skilled tracking and surveillance expert Colter Shaw (Hartley), who makes a living helping citizens and law enforcement locate various individuals. Colter is also trying to solve the mystery surrounding his father’s death. His brother, Russell (Jensen Ackles), was initially a suspect, but was eventually cleared. Ackles will reprise his role as Russell Shaw in the upcoming season. The news was confirmed by Hartley at the Television Critics Association press tour. “We’ve got him, he’s coming back,” he said. “We’re having a lot of fun with it, it’s a great story.” Ackles will appear in multiple episodes, meaning his character will be part of a long-running storyline.
