Emily Bett Rickards
Emily Bett Rickards – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes
Discover the inspiring journey of Emily Bett Rickards — Canadian actress best known as Felicity Smoak — through her early life, breakout role, recent transformations, and greatest quotes. Explore lessons from her career and legacy.
Introduction
Emily Bett Rickards is a Canadian actress born on July 24, 1991, who rose to international fame through her portrayal of Felicity Smoak in the CW’s Arrow and its related “Arrowverse” series. Queen of the Ring (2025)—that have pushed her limit and deepened her craft.
Rickards’ journey from a stage-and-dance-theater childhood to a high-profile acting career offers a compelling story of passion, perseverance, and transformation. In an industry that often typecasts, she has demonstrated versatility, dedication, and courage. Her story continues to inspire fans of television, film, and performing arts alike.
Early Life and Family
Emily Bett Rickards was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
From a young age, Rickards participated in performing arts classes—both dance and theatre—which seeded her interest in acting. Her family’s support and her early immersion in stagecraft laid the foundation for her later transition into screen acting.
Youth and Education
Rickards showed ambition and focus early on. After completing high school (she graduated ahead of schedule), she enrolled in the Acting Essentials Program at Vancouver Film School.
Beyond formal training, she sought practical avenues into the industry. She attended open call auditions, eventually securing an agent through her early efforts.
Her earliest professional credit came in 2009 when she appeared in a music video by the band Nickelback for “Never Gonna Be Alone.” This modest beginning allowed her to gain comfort in front of the camera and understand production dynamics.
Career and Achievements
Breakthrough: Arrow and the Arrowverse
Emily’s career-defining moment came in 2012, when she was cast as Felicity Smoak on the CW’s Arrow.
By the show’s second season, Rickards was promoted to series regular. The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and voiced the character in the animated web series Vixen.
Her portrayal of Felicity earned her a devoted fan base and critical recognition. One particularly celebrated moment is her monologue in the Arrow episode “We Fall”, praised for its emotional depth and Rickards’ performance.
In March 2019, Rickards announced she would depart Arrow at the end of its seventh season, though she returned for the series finale as a guest star.
Expanding into Film and Indie Projects
While Arrow anchored her public presence, Rickards explored varied projects in film and theater:
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In 2014, she appeared in Dakota’s Summer (a sequel to Cowgirls ’n Angels) playing Kristen Rose.
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She also had a supporting role in Brooklyn (2015).
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In 2018–2019, she worked on Funny Story, The Clinic, and in 2020 starred in We Need to Talk, where she played a comedic yet emotionally grounded character.
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On stage, she participated in the play Reborning and then helped bring it to a New York venue.
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She also narrated The Wicked Ones, an audiobook in The Mortal Instruments universe.
Queen of the Ring (2025): A Transformational Role
In 2025, Rickards took on one of her most demanding roles: Mildred Burke, a pioneering female wrestler who became the first woman athlete to earn $1 million and broke gender barriers in professional wrestling.
To transform into Burke, Rickards underwent intensive physical preparation. She trained with actual pro wrestlers, employed weight and resistance routines (including often carrying a wheelbarrow full of weights and chicken breasts to pump up her physique), and studied archival footage of wrestling from Burke’s era.
She spoke in interviews about immersing herself in the historical and emotional context of Burke’s life, striving to portray not just the physical but the internal battles of a trailblazing woman in a male-dominated sport.
Historical Milestones & Context
Emily’s rise coincided with shifting cultural tides toward more nuanced female characters in genre television and stronger opportunities for actors to move between television, film, and theater. Her success with Arrow — a superhero show with male epicenter — demonstrated how a character rooted in technology, emotional intelligence, and moral conscience could resonate broadly.
Her casting as Felicity helped advance representations of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) on screen: Felicity is portrayed as a brilliant tech expert whose skills and agency are essential to the narrative.
Meanwhile, by choosing Queen of the Ring, Rickards has engaged with historical questions of gender, sport, and recognition. Bringing Burke’s story to life not only spotlights a forgotten pioneer but also aligns with broader conversations about how women’s achievements in sports and entertainment are documented and remembered.
Legacy and Influence
Though still relatively young in her career, Emily Bett Rickards has already left a mark in multiple domains:
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Fandom Connection & Character Impact
Her portrayal of Felicity Smoak made her a fan-favorite and integral part of the Arrowverse fandom. Even as supporting cast, she shaped story arcs and audience emotional investment. -
Bridging Genre Boundaries
She has shown that actors known for television can shift meaningfully into indie film, theater, voice work, and biographical drama. Her diverse choices hint at a long-term trajectory beyond typecasting. -
Advocacy & Philanthropy
Rickards has used her platform for charitable causes. During Arrow, she participated in a PSA with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation focused on spinal injury awareness.Moreover, in 2019, she partnered with Vancouver Film School to create the Emily Bett Rickards Acting Scholarship, offering full scholarships and partial funding to students—investing in the next generation of performers.
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Inspiration for Women in Tech & Arts
Through the character of Felicity, Rickards has influenced how audiences perceive women in tech fields. Felicity’s competence, moral center, and vulnerability made her a model of modern female protagonists who are both strong and flawed. -
Continued Evolution
Her more recent choice to take on physically intensive roles (e.g. wrestling) signals her ambition to stretch her capabilities. If she continues to balance commercial and artistically demanding roles, her legacy may rest in being known not only as “that Felicity from Arrow” but as a versatile, boundary-pushing actor.
Personality and Talents
Emily Rickards describes herself as someone who craves challenge and change. In interviews she has said:
“I was always very physical, growing up, and did sports. I like to get out and do different things, and walk in different shoes. I like change. I like challenge.”
She is deeply curious about people’s backgrounds—where they grew up, how they were raised—a trait she attributes to wanting to understand motivations and emotional landscapes.
Rickards often blends humility and introspection. She recognizes the fragility of life and the complexity of human relationships:
“Every time someone in your life dies, you realize you’re not invincible and you have to wonder if we’re celebrating life or if we’re mourning a death.”
Her willingness to take risks—stepping away from a stable television role, embracing physically demanding transformation, and engaging in independent projects—reflects a boldness and faith in her own growth.
Famous Quotes of Emily Bett Rickards
Here are some notable quotes attributed to Rickards:
| Quote | Insight / Context | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “I was always very physical… I like change. I like challenge.” | On her early drives and attraction to variety in roles. | “Every time someone in your life dies, you realize you’re not invincible…” | Reflecting on mortality, grief, and how life gives perspective. | “I’m always interested to meet my friends' parents, or who they were raised by. Where they grew up, I always find very interesting.” | Expressing her curiosity about personal histories and context. | “When you get involved romantically with someone, sometimes you end up overlooking things that you could help people with better, as a friend.” | On love, awareness, and emotional responsibility. | “Any question you have, most likely someone else is having as well.” | Offering reassurance and connection between people. | “There was a point in my life where I either wanted to be an astronaut, an actor, a veterinarian, or a pirate…” | On childhood dreams and limitless imagination.
These quotes reveal her philosophical bent: she is introspective, humanistic, and inclined to see life’s contours in both light and shadow. Lessons from Emily Bett RickardsFrom Rickards’ journey, we can draw several lessons applicable to artists, professionals, and dreamers alike:
ConclusionEmily Bett Rickards’ trajectory — from a young Canadian performer to an internationally known actress and creative force — exemplifies how discipline, authenticity, and courage can shape a fulfilling career in the arts. Her portrayal of Felicity Smoak not only brought her into the spotlight but also changed how audiences see multifaceted female leads in genre television. Meanwhile, her leap into portraying a historic figure like Mildred Burke shows her willingness to reshape both her own narrative and the narratives we tell about powerful women of the past. If you're inspired by Emily’s journey, her work, or her outlook, I encourage you to revisit Arrow, to explore Queen of the Ring when it’s available, and to reflect on how taking risks in your own life may unlock the next chapter. Let me know if you’d like a deep dive into her acting technique, her other film roles, or her influence in modern genre storytelling. Articles by the author
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