While the majority of actors in the guild are supporting the SAG-AFTRA strike, with almost 98% voting in favor, some, like Stephen Amell, are not on board. He openly expresses his lack of support, calling it a “myopic” and “reductive negotiating tactic.”
During his appearance at GalaxyCon in Raleigh, North Carolina, Stephen Amell, aged 42, was asked about the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 14 and followed the WGA writers’ strike in early May. This discussion came after the second season of his new series Heels premiered.
‘Yeah, so I feel like I’m insulated in Hollywood, cause that’s where I live, like all the stereotypes that exist. I feel like a lot of people in this room aren’t aware of the strike,’ Amell began.
‘I support my union, I do, and I stand with them but I do not support striking, I don’t,’ Amell added.
‘I think it is a reductive negotiating tactic and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating,’ Amell continued.
‘I think the thinking as it pertains to shows like the show that I’m on (Heels), that premiered last night, I think it’s myopic,’ Amell concluded.
On social media, Stephen Amell did not elaborate on his views regarding the strike, but he did share a video on Instagram expressing gratitude to his fans who visited him in Raleigh.
‘I just had the best time, I must have met 5,000 people. If you waited in line, because I know a lot of people waited a long time in line, I want to thank you for that,’ he said.
Several fans criticized the actor in the comments for expressing anti-strike sentiments.
Instagram user @max52hz used a popular line from Amell’s CW series Arrow, writing, ‘You truly have failed this city, scab,’ to express their disappointment with his stance on the strike.
One fan speculated that Amell might have gotten into trouble with SAG and had to remove his posts promoting his new show due to his stance on the strike.
According to one of the SAG-AFTRA strike rules, actors are prohibited from doing any press to promote their upcoming projects, which could explain why Amell had to remove his posts about his new show.
One fan named “ozols” made a witty comment, saying, “Against striking? Damn, a heel in real life too,” alluding to Amell’s role in the series “Heels” and his stance on the SAG-AFTRA strike.
