Arrow Star Stephen Amell Played A Quietly Pivotal Character On New Girl

Stephen Amell's starring role as Oliver Queen on "Arrow" isn't the only popular TV show he has appeared in. The actor also had an important, albeit much smaller, part on one of Fox's most beloved shows, "New Girl."

The Fox sitcom featured Amell as Kyle, a self-absorbed model who dates Cece (Hannah Simone) in two episodes of Season 1. Kyle never seems like a long-term match for Cece, but he still makes a considerable impact on her arc. "New Girl" introduces him in Season 1, Episode 9, "The 23rd," in which he insults his girlfriend and fails to get her a Christmas present. As Cece drifts away from Kyle at a party, her eventual romance with Schmidt (Max Greenfield) begins to take shape.

Amell returned in Episode 13, "Valentine's Day," which aired in 2012, the same year "Arrow" premiered on The CW. After Kyle behaves badly while under the influence of magic mushrooms, Cece breaks up with him as she falls in love with Schmidt. Her brief relationship with Kyle helps push her toward one of the show's central romances, which eventually leads to marriage and children.

Stephen Amell appeared on "New Girl" right on the cusp of his most famous role, so he wasn't yet a widely recognizable television star. In retrospect, however, fans often spot him while revisiting the show's first season. His erratic performance helps establish Kyle as a total jerk, with his most memorable moments including peeing his pants after taking magic mushrooms. 

During a 2022 appearance on "The Mess Around with Hannah and Lamorne," Amell spoke with "New Girl" stars Hannah Simone and Zooey Deschanel, who substituted for Lamorne Morris. He explained what usually happens when viewers recognize him from Season 1. 

"People will go back and start re-watching it, and I'll get these random text messages from people that I've known for a long time," he said. "And they'll be like, 'You're Kyle in 'New Girl.' No way!' And then nothing will happen for a little while, and then I'll get another text saying, 'You just p***ed your pants' ... It happens all the time. It's a real testament to your show."

More than a decade later, Amell remains one of the numerous actors with a small but memorable role on "New Girl." Those who haven't seen his episodes can currently stream the series on Hulu.