Katherine McNamara Looks Back on How 'Shadowhunters' Role Changed Her Life & What She Took From The Project

Katherine McNamara looks like she was snatched out of a 1960s movie in her new feature with Bello magazine.

In the new issue, the 22-year-old actress is opening up about how the role of Clary on Shadowhunters changed her life.

“One of the biggest gifts of being with Shadowhunters – and it’s something I give the writers credit for — is that every single woman on the show stands up for themselves, fights their own battles, and each is empowered in their own way,” Katherine revealed.

She continued, “And just as importantly, they are such a diverse range of women. What that does is show the next generation of young girls that strong, empowered, badass women are not of one stripe — they are every woman.”

When the role of Clary came to her, Katherine knew she had to have it, because she had been looking for it her entire life.

“When I was a little girl I wanted nothing more than to find a character like Clary to look up to, and characters in whose footsteps I could follow,” she says. “I was lucky enough to be raised in a household of badass women who balanced career and family and were able to do it all. It was never a question of ‘or’ — it was always a question of ‘and’. You can be anything you want to be, no matter what society says, and if you work hard enough.”

The role was deep and taught her how to handle weapons, too.

“When I began work on Shadowhunters I didn’t know how to throw a punch or hold a sword. I didn’t know what I was doing,” she says. “With Clary I was immediately thrown into the fire, and we had an amazing team of stunt professionals and stunt doubles. They were world class martial arts experts and teachers, and they were always there to teach us any time we wanted to take time to learn, so I never missed an opportunity.”

Katherine adds, “It was such a huge gift and it changed my world. Now I’m such a gym rat, I love working out, and martial arts and boxing have become one of my biggest passions. Now with Arrow I get to continue my boxing and fighting skills in a whole new universe.”