She makes a point that this superhero-driven genre has been traditionally male-dominated. But, it’s changing. Sara Lance/White Canary is not just the damsel in distress, not just the love interest, and all of her lines aren’t revolved around men. She’s powerful, complicated, and interesting. Lotz has had fans, and mothers of fans, approach her with a sense of thankfulness that there is a character like Sara for them to look up to and aspire to be. Lance also resonates with another group that the comic book world hadn’t yet tapped into—the LGBTQ community. “I think one of the coolest parts about Sara is her sexuality,” Lotz said. Originally she thought she was going to get more backlash about her character being bisexual, but fans in the community have shown much appreciation being represented on TV. “They see Sara and it normalizes it,” Lotz says about her on-screen character. “And it normalizes it, not just for them, but for everybody else.” A fan worded it best, in Lotz’s eyes, saying that Sara’s character shows that sexuality can be fluid and not just a linear label, earning a retweet to Lotz’s over 330K Twitter followers. Mary Lotz, Caity’s mother, says that, in comparison to Sara Lance’s powerful and strong role, that Caity and her are very similar. “She’s always been that way. If someone was picking on someone, she’d stand up for that person,” she said. “She’s always been the protector.” She went on to say that she and her husband are slowly starting to get used to seeing their daughter on the big screen: “The first time I ever saw her get killed [in the film The Pact II], it devastated me. I had to keep reminding myself that it’s just a movie, it’s not her…Then I was like, ‘Who do I beat up?’” she said clenching her fists. We no longer have to wonder where that ‘protector’ side of Caity comes from. “But we still do shriek every time we see her name.”
SHE MAKES A POINT THAT THIS SUPERHERO-DRIVEN GENRE HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY MALE-DOMINATED. BUT, IT’S CHANGING. Growing up, Mary said that Caity was a tomboy, an old soul, and very independent. On her first day of kindergarten, she says that after she walked Caity into her classroom, she motioned her mom away and said, “Okay, you can go now.” Regardless, Mary said that she’s her biggest fan. When Caity would dance, her mom explained how she had that “it factor;” she shined while on stage. “I went to every dance performance,” she said. “I just loved watching her.” As for acting, Mary said that it surprised her how easily Caity fell into going on TV and being on camera…and being funny. “I didn’t know she was that funny,” she laughs. “She blossomed.” Mary continued to gush about how proud she was of her daughter’s successes and raved about how passionate she is about everything she does. “She’s a good kid,” she smirks. “I’ll keep her.” Yeah, we will too. Caity Lotz plays a character that arguably has the best hand-to-hand combat skills in the superhero-genre game right now. Lance, like Lotz, stands firm in her beliefs, is quickwitted, and has an unmatched work ethic. She encompasses girl power, as King reminds us. “It’s important to remind each other as women that we are strong, fierce and a force to be reckoned with and to concentrate on having each others backs instead of letting insecurities tear us down,” King said. Yes, Lotz can show you up by busting a dance move or by using a bo staff inspired by Filipino martial arts, but, her greatest power? Being a woman. LOCALE MAGAZINE 91