Katrina Law Talks ‘Training Day,’ ‘Arrow,’ and More [Exclusive Interview]

Katrina Law is no stranger to playing a badass or challenging herself with new material. From superhero shows to romantic comedies, she’s done it all. And this fall, she’s taking on something new.

I recently had the chance to chat with Law about her upcoming role on Training Day and how her character differs from Nyssa on Arrow.

Training Day, which will air on CBS, is the TV-follow-up to the 2001 film. It follows the same storyline as the movie with a rookie cop being partnered with a corrupt officer of the LAPD.

Law plays the loyal and badass Detective Rebecca Lee of the Special Investigation Section (SIS) Division of the LAPD. Despite what the rookie cop might think of the corrupt one, Frank Rourke, she’s loyal to him — and for good reason.

She’s very loyal to Frank Rourke, who’s played by Bill Paxton,” Law said of her character. “She was rescued from human trafficking when she was little by him. So she’s forever indebted to him. She basically looks up to him as a hero. She sees that he has some very large flaws as a human but she’s willing to overlook that because her love for him, her respect for him, trumps it all.”

When she compared her notable character Nyssa al Ghul, from The CW’s Arrow, to Rebecca, the differences between these two characters became even more apparent — and gave a sneak peek at the kind of woman Rebecca is.

For one, their childhoods were different. Nyssa knew her place in life.

“Nyssa didn’t necessarily grow up with what she perceived [as] a bad childhood. She grew up knowing that this was her place in the world. What she was meant to be. She was the Heir to the Demon, and eventually she would be the Demon’s Head. She always knew her place, and everything she did was in pursuit of that goal — to eventually be the head of the League of Assassins.”

It was only later in her life, as things were being torn away from her, did Nyssa have to take a real look at everything to find a balance that worked for her and would allow her to discover who she really was.

It’s the exact opposite with Rebecca Lee.

“Rebecca had a terrible childhood, had no foundation, had no real recollection of her parents, didn’t know who she was. [She] didn’t know where she belonged in the world, and barely spoke the language when she got to America. So it was more about her finding herself, her journey, and figuring out what it was that she wanted to fight for.”

This kind of background story will be key when it comes to the kind of cop that Rebecca is in the LAPD. She doesn’t see the people she protects on a daily basis, or the situations she gets thrown into, as black and white.

“Rebecca Lee is very much in the grey area. She knows that people do bad things, and she knows that people do good things. That doesn’t make them good or bad. It’s just human nature. But she has no tolerance for criminals or people who do bad things to women or children. I think she draws the line in the sand pretty deeply.”

Another thing that separates the two women and will help Arrow fans acclimate to Law’s new role is Rebecca’s sense of humor.

“Not to say that Nyssa doesn’t have a sense of humor,” Law joked. “I think she’s slowly learning, as she goes. But I think Rebecca Lee has a dark, dark, twisted sense of humor.”

Fortunately, Law will continue kicking ass as Rebecca Lee when Training Day premieres.

“Rebecca’s a little more real-time with it, so they’re not going to be long, drawn out, extended fights. She definitely kicks ass. Just a little more quickly.”

While we were still on Arrow, I couldn’t help but ask about the character of Sara Lance. With her new role as Captain of the Waverider, I wanted to know if Nyssa would be proud of her. It was a resounding yes for Law.

“I think Nyssa has the greatest of expectations for Sara. One of the reasons why — when Sara came back and tried to rescue Nyssa from the cage in the flashbacks on Legends of Tomorrow, Nyssa basically said, ‘No. You need to go live without me. This is my struggle. And I’m not gonna pull you into my world.’ Because she knew that if she asked her to come into her world, Sara would’ve, and then she would’ve stayed there. That’s one of the reasons why she left Nanda Parbat in the first place, because that wasn’t the life that she wanted.”

At the end of the day, Nyssa is proud of Sara and willing to put herself aside to protect her and make sure she has the best life possible. If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is.

Back to Training Day, Law talked a bit about how she prepared for the role, which included researching the LAPD.

It was important for her to understand the world she was stepping into, because the show focused on a corrupt cop in a time when police brutality and excessive force are very real issues in the United States.

“You know, it’s such a hot topic right now. It’s so relevant of what’s going on in our world with our police force, the militarization of our police, what is perceived as excess force, what is perceived as necessary force, and the difference of perception between the police force and the public. It really puts into question some of the options of our heroes. It really makes you wonder, well they did get the criminal off the streets, but at what cost? Was that cost necessary? Was it right or wrong?”

“I think it’s a really relevant show to be having on television right now. And I think it’s gonna spark a lot of conversation,” Law continued.

For Law, one of the most best things about coming to set everyday on Training Day was working with Bill Paxton.

He’s one of the best human beings on the planet. If you’ve ever had a single good thought about Bill Paxton, just know that you are correct in assuming any good thing about him. He shows up to set, every single morning, with a smile on his face. He is happy, ready to go, and he’s really great at being a team leader and setting the tone for the cast and the crew.”

“The beautiful thing about Bill is he does have amazing lines. There are times when he’s saying these lines and he’s like, ‘What am I saying?’ Law explained. “He has a beautiful ability to be able to get serious, knuckle down, and be able to do his work. And as soon as we call cut he’s often joking, goofing off, and being crazy Bill.”

Training Day isn’t the only thing that Law is working on for 2017. She will be in the horror movie Darkness Rising and will have a mystery appearance that fans will definitely enjoy.

I’m not allowed to tell you. It’s a good surprise. It’s a wanted surprise. That’s gonna be fun,” she teased.

What she could tell me about was her upcoming charity work. If you’re planning on seeing Law in any of her upcoming conventions, her Charity Sundays are for you.

“I’m doing some conventions around the country. And [one] of things that I’ll be doing is Charity Sundays, where all the proceeds that I make on Sunday will go directly to two charities.”

One of the charities is an animal rescue based in Los Angeles and the other is for a school she’s hoping to build in Nepal this Christmas. She will be raising money for those two charities all year around and hopes that fans will come on out and support a great cause.

Be sure to catch Katrina Law on Training Day, premiering February 2, 2017 at 10/9c on CBS.

Social Media:

• https://twitter.com/katrinalaw
• https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKatrinaLaw
• https://www.instagram.com/katrinalaw

Featured image credits: 

• Photographers: Riker Brothers Photography
• Make-up: Anton K
• Hair: Mika Fowler
• Styling: Lo VonRumpf

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