'Arrow' Star Goes On An 'American Journey'

America just closed the book on one of its most harrowing chapters in ages, making Paul Blackthorne's new documentary, This American Journey, incredibly timely. "One doesn't hope for a government shutdown for publicity, but there are aspects in the film that focus on the fact there's no point in being divisive for the sake of being divisive," Blackthorne tells ETonline of the film that focuses on a cross-country quest to discover if Americans still believe in this land of opportunity,

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Along with Australian photographer Mister Basquali, Blackthorne embarked on this mission because, "there's a lot of patronizing talk about middle America, but I wanted to meet the country properly and not form an idea based on other people’s opinions." And the Arrow star believes his perspective as a foreigner gives him a unique ability to offer an unbiased take on the state of America.

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"I think the most positive thing about being foreign is being able to objectively appreciate all sides of the conversation. People have a tendency to dwell on the negative in tough times, and America is going through tough times but in the tough times, you need to remember the good stuff because that's what gets you through. That's why we set out to, and hopefully did, make an uplifting movie."

And that's the message Blackthorne hopes people take from This American Journey. "Hopefully people will see they have more in common than they don't," he says. "What our film really says in the end is that America is definitely in a pickle, but the American spirit will get us through -- it always does!"

Watch ETonline's exclusive clip from This American Journey -- and more information on the film, click here!