Emily Bett Rickards

Early life and career

Rickards was born and raised in British Columbia. Her mother is Dr. Diane Greig, a dream psychotherapist in Vancouver.

At a young age, she was introduced to musical theatre and dance. Graduating early from high school, she attended the Vancouver Film School, completing their acting essentials program. Following completion, she attended an open call audition, gaining an agent. She studied at the Alida Vocal Studio in Vancouver. Rickards made her first professional appearance in 2009, starring in the video for the Nickelback single "Never Gonna Be Alone".

Career

Arrowverse

Rickards' breakthrough role came in 2012 with her first television casting, as Felicity Smoak in The CW television series Arrow, which is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. She was initially signed as a guest star for one episode, but after positive reaction from star Stephen Amell, Warner Brothers executive Peter Roth, and journalists at preview screenings, she was signed as a recurring star for the rest of the show's first season. The success of the character saw her signed as a series regular from the second season onwards. Speaking in 2013 about that decision, Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim stated, "We were very lucky that we cast Emily Rickards, who just lit up the screen." In March 2019, Rickards announced that she would leave Arrow at the end of the show's seventh season. In November 2019, Rickards was confirmed as a guest star for Arrows series finale.

Throughout the series run, Rickards received praise for her performance in the role, often described as the show's "fan favourite"See:

• or "breakout"See:
• character, with many critics describing the character, and Rickards, as an integral part of the show's success.See:
• Her monologue in the season-six episode "We Fall" won her particular praise.See:
• Rickards was nominated for multiple Teen Choice and Leo Awards for the role, and in 2016, her portrayal of the character was placed at number 15 in a list of 50 Favourite Female Characters, in a poll of Hollywood professionals conducted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Rickards also portrayed the character in the spin-off shows to the series (collectively known as the Arrowverse) The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, as well as providing the voice for the character on animated show Vixen. In 2013, she portrayed Felicity in web-based promotional tie-in series Blood Rush, sponsored by Bose, which also featured the characters of Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) and Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne).

Film

In March 2014, Rickards was cast in the sequel to Cowgirls 'n Angels, entitled Cowgirls 'n Angels: Dakota's Summer, as Kristen Rose, the sister of the film's protagonist, Dakota, portrayed by Haley Ramm. The film premiered at the 2014 Dallas International Film Festival. In 2015, she had a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated film Brooklyn. In 2016, she appeared in Slumber, starring alongside Darby Stanchfield and Meaghan Rath. Filming took place in Los Angeles in May 2016. She also appeared in Axis. The film won the prize for outstanding achievement feature film at the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival. She also appeared in the super-hero themed short film Sidekick, directed by Arrowverse alum Jeff Cassidy.

In 2018, she appeared in the comedy, Funny Story. The film was runner-up at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2018, in the festival's 'Beyond' programme. It also won the Stolman audience award for best American indie at the 2018 Sonoma International Film Festival; the audience award for best narrative feature at the Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival; best feature at the Santorini Film Festival; and the grand jury prize at the Barcelona Film Festival. At the Southampton International Film Festival, Rickards was nominated for leading actress in a feature. In May 2019, she appeared in the indie film, We Need to Talk, co-starring James Maslow, and written and directed by Todd Wolfe. It was an official selection at the FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia, in November 2020 and Rickards was named best actress in a feature.

In 2024, Rickards reunited with Amell in the western Calamity Jane, a fictionalized story based around the life of Martha Jane Canary, known as Calamity Jane. She appeared in French film, Autumn and the Black Jaguar, as supporting character and will also appear in Queen of the Ring, a biopic movie about female wrestler Mildred Burke, where she portrays the lead role.

Other works

In early 2016, she appeared in the Canadian webseries Paranormal Solutions, Inc., which was launched online in April of the same year. In June, she appeared in an episode of the fifth season of IFC comedy Comedy Bang! Bang!. In May 2018, she appeared in Reborning for Reality Curve Theatre Group at the Annex Theatre in Vancouver. The production premiered on June 20, 2018. In April 2019, she reprised her role in Reality Curve's Off-Broadway production at New York's SoHo Playhouse, in July and August of the same year. In September 2018, she narrated an audiobook of The Wicked Ones, originally published as part of the Ghosts of the Shadow Market anthology, which is also part of The Mortal Instruments series.

Philanthropy

In 2016, Rickards launched a T-shirt campaign in support of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) through the crowd funding merchandise site Represent.com, with all proceeds going to the charity.

During season four of Arrow, her character was paralyzed from the waist down following a shooting incident, later regaining the ability to walk through the use of a prototype microchip. Rickards filmed a PSA in conjunction with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation advocating for advancements in the treatment of spinal injuries.

In February 2019, the Vancouver Film School announced the "Emily Bett Rickards Acting Scholarship", a partnership between the school and Rickards, to fund a full scholarship for the school's acting programs, as well as partial funding of $250,000 for other students. She will select the scholarship recipients.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Music videos

Stage

Discography

Awards and nominations

Film

Television

References

References

1. Caputo, Denise. (July 24, 2018). "Happy Birthday, Emily Bett Rickards".
2. Wilkerson, Richard C.. (June 18, 2017). "2017 IASD Conference Photos".
3. Wilkerson, Richard C.. (June 18, 2017). "2017 IASD Conference Photos".
4. Rickards, Emily. (March 17, 2014). ""My mother is my most dedicated stalker." Tweet".
5. Berman, Nat. (May 12, 2017). "Five Things You Didn't Know About Emily Bett Rickards".
6. "Testimonials".
7. Andreeva, Nellie. (August 10, 2012). "Shiri Appleby Poised To Recur on NBC's 'Chicago Fire' & More TV Castings". Deadline Hollywood.
8. Wieselman, Jarett. (April 22, 2013). "10 Minutes with 'Arrow' Star Emily Bett Rickards". [[Entertainment Tonight]].
9. (May 14, 2013). "Arrow:Stephen Amell and Greg Berlanti. Larry King Now".
10. (November 19, 2015). "Peter Roth and Greg Berlanti in Conversation. Paley Fest Media Convention".
11. (March 9, 2013). "Arrow at Paleyfest".
12. Kaye, Chris. (October 8, 2014). "The Secret Superhero Star of the CW".
13. Prudom, Laura. (February 12, 2013). "'Arrow' Promotes Emily Bett Rickards To Series Regular, New Promo Teases Oliver And Laurel Hook-Up (VIDEO)".
14. Bahr, Lindsey. (March 10, 2013). "Paleyfest 2013".
15. Radish, Christina. (March 10, 2013). "ARROW Season 1 Finale and Season 2 Updates From Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Stephen Amell and David Ramsey @ PaleyFest".
16. (March 30, 2019). "'Arrow' Actress Emily Bett Rickards Announces Exit Ahead of Final Season".
17. Mittovich, Matt Webb. (November 1, 2019). "'Arrow' series finale: Emily bett Rickards returns for series finale -will Olicity reunite?".
18. (December 9, 2016). "Hollywood's 50 Favorite Female Characters". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
19. Freeman, Molly. (July 20, 2014). "'The Flash' pilot images: Episode 4 to feature Felicity Smoak". Screenrant.
20. Wax, Alyse. (March 27, 2016). "Look ahead to DC's Legends of Tomorrow final episodes in new trailer". comingsoon.net.
21. Mitovich, Matt Webb. (November 9, 2017). "Arrowverse 4-Way Crossover Synopsis Confirms [Spoiler] Will Be a Cool Ally". [[TVLine]].
22. Lam, Steve. (June 28, 2015). "SDCC 2015: Comic-Con Schedule For Saturday, July 11, 2015". Fansided.
23. Graser, Marc. (November 8, 2013). "Bose and 'Arrow:' Sound Company Helps the CW Launch Superhero Spinoff 'Blood Rush'". "Variety".
24. (March 24, 2014). "Country Artist Amber Hayes Returns To The Big Screen In Cowgirls 'N Angels 2: Dakota's Summer".
25. Ge, Linda. (March 14, 2014). "'Arrow' star Emily Bett Rickards joins Saoirse Ronon in 'Brooklyn'".
26. Lang, Brent. (April 25, 2016). "Darby Stanchfield, Emily Bett Rickards and Meaghan Rath cast in sci-fi thriller 'Slumbler".
27. McNary, Dave. (April 12, 2016). "Aisha Tyler to make feature directing debut on Kiickstarter-funded Axis".
28. (March 10, 2017). "Sarasota Film Festival Announces Opening and Closing Night Films". Broadway World.
29. (April 28, 2017). "Annual Newport Beach Film Festival Announces Award Winners". "Newport Beach Film Festival.
30. Romano, Nick. (October 28, 2016). "Sidekick: Emily Bett Rickards and Tom Cavanagh team for superhero short film".
31. Rowney, Jo-Anne. (June 11, 2017). "Arrow's Emily Bett Rickards on set wedding snap gives fans hope for future".
32. Slamdance. (December 6, 2017). "SLAMDANCE 2018 ANNOUNCES, BEYOND FEATURES, AND SHORT FILM COMPETITIONS". Slamdance Film Festival.
33. "Slamdance Film Festival Announces Award Winners". "[[Slamdance Film Festival]].
34. Funny Story (2018). (March 26, 2018). "WINNER! AUDIENCE AWARD at Sonoma International Film Festival! 🎬🎉🏆 @emilybett @matthewglave @janawinternitz #FunnyStoryMovie #sonomafilmfest".
35. (June 11, 2018). "🏆 WINNER! 🏆 "Funny Story" won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Vero Beach Wine & Film Festival! 🎬🎉🥂Thank you so much!! More festivals coming soon! Get updates: http://www.funnystorymovie.com #funnystorymovie #vbwff".
36. (June 21, 2018). "🏆WINNER 🏆'Funny Story' wins BEST FEATURE FILM at the Santorini Film Festival! 🎬🎉❤️ Congrats @emilybett @matthewglave @janawinternitz and the entire cast & crew! 🥂 More updates and future screenings on our site: http://www.funnystorymovie.com #funnystorymovie".
37. "2018 Winners".
38. N'Duka, Amanda. (May 28, 2019). "James Maslow, 'Arrow's Emily Bett Rickards Star In Indie Film 'We Need To Talk'".
39. "Congratulations to all our Philadelphia 2020 filmmakers!". FirstGlance Film Festival.
40. Humphrey, Julia. (5 February 2024). "Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards plan their future in 'Calamity Jane' Sneak Peek [Exclusive]". [[Collider (website).
41. Ross Sapp, Sean. (June 4, 2023). "Liv Morgan and Charlotte Flair cast for upcoming Mildred Burke movie". Fightful.com.
42. Furminger, Sabrina. (April 13, 2016). "Spooky sleuths get 'Paranormal'".
43. Wright, Megh. (April 13, 2016). "'Comedy Bang! Bang!' Returns on June 3rd with The Lonely Island, Nathan Fielder, Kristen Schaal, and More".
44. (May 21, 2018). "Emily Bett Rickards Discusses Arrow". Build Series.
45. (June 17, 2018). "Our picks this week: Global Soundscapes Fest, Reborning & Kill All Politicians".
46. Drum, Nicole. (April 3, 2019). "Emily Bett Rickards Reveals Her First Post-'Arrow' Role".
47. Broadway World. (June 10, 2019). "Reality Curve Theater to Present Emily Rickards REBORNING".
48. (September 11, 2018). "The Wicked Ones Audiobook". Simon and Schuster.
49. Mueller, Matthew. (September 6, 2017). "Arrow's Emily Bett Rickards has an important message from the bathtub".
50. Burlingame, Russ. (March 31, 2016). "Arrow's Emily Bett Rickards Has An Important Message About Christopher And Dana Reeve Foundation".
51. [[Vancouver Film School]]. (February 1, 2019). "Emily Bett Rickards Partners with Vancouver Film School, Offering Scholarships up to $250,000". Vancouver Film School.
52. Keslassy, Elsa. (January 9, 2023). "Studiocanal boasts star-studded French slate, including new films with Gilles Lellouche, Camille Cottin, Karin Viard (EXCLUSIVE)". [[Variety (magazine).
53. Bucksbaum, Sydney. (January 25, 2024). "See Arrow alums Emily Bett Rickards and Stephen Amell reunite as lovers in Western Calamity Jane".
54. Karmel, Laurenne. (June 20, 2018). "Arrow's Emily Bett Rickards owns a four-handed doll of herself (VIDEO, PODCAST)".
55. (May 15, 2017). "Watch Emily Bett Rickards and Travis Atreo Cover Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning"". Beautiful Ballad.
56. "Awards and Nominations". Southampton International Film Festival.
57. "Congratulations to the Winners of FirstGlance Philadelphia 23". FirstGlance Film Festival.
58. "Announces the 2024 Award Winners". Fort Lauderdale International Fil Festival.
59. (September 18, 2013). "UBCP/ACTRA Announces the Nominees for the 2013 UBCP/ACTRA Awards". [[ACTRA Award.
60. "2014 Winners By Name". [[Leo Awards]].
61. Nordyke, Kimberley. (August 8, 2014). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List".
62. "2015 LEO AWARDS NOMINEES & WINNERS". [[Leo Awards]].
63. Bell, Crystal. (July 13, 2015). "Olicity Is Our Ship Of The Year And We Can't Stop Smiling". [[MTV]] News.
64. (August 16, 2015). "2015 Teen Choice Award Winners – Full List".
65. "2016 LEO AWARDS NOMINEES & WINNERS". [[Leo Awards]].
66. "fandom awards 2016 winners". [[MTV]] News.
67. (July 31, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards: Complete Winners List".
68. "Winners By Program 2017". [[Leo Awards]].
69. (August 13, 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017: 'Riverdale,' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition".
70. (August 12, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards: Winners List".
71. Todisco, Eric. (August 11, 2019). "Teen Choice Awards 2019: See the Complete List of Winners".