Actors in the US, who are a part of the trade union group SAG-AFTRA, began striking on July 13, and almost three weeks later, the strike still continues; due to the AMPTP not meeting their conditions.
When a strike happens; actors stand on picket lines in solidarity outside studios and they can’t promote/discuss their own content anywhere or carry out any work for struck companies.
When an actor crosses a picket line, they are described as being a “scab”; this term applies to strikes in any industry. They are likely to risk losing their membership/future membership to unions, which helps to protect residuals, healthcare etc.
At a recent convention called GalaxyCon, in Raleigh, NC; a video surfaced online of Arrow star, Stephen Amell, mentions that “I support my union. I do, and I stand with them. I do not support striking, I don’t. I think it is a reductive negotiating tactic, and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. And 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.”
These comments received a great deal of backlash online, as this also began spreading across multiple outlets.
Since this happened, other Arrowverse stars have also taken to social media to comment on actor’s thoughts about the strike.
Kirk Acevedo, who portrayed Ricardo Diaz on season 6 of Arrow had an expletive comment to say about Amell.
Matt Letscher; who was Reverse Flash on the The Flash tv series, shared a comment in relation to what Amell has said.
It’s not the first time that Stephen Amell has been involved in a situation that goes against striking and breaches instructions by the unions. One day into the strike, on July 14, Amell and fellow Arrrow star, David Ramsey make it aware to a Montreal Comic Con audience; that they cannot talk about their shows, then they completely disregard it seconds after, to discuss the show.
On July 28, the actor posted multiple images across social media; promoting his show called Heels; purposefully taking photos in front of the billboards about the show. And after receiving backlash during this as well, these now have all been deleted.
Full response from Stephen Amell
Stephen Amell has since provided an extensive breakdown on his Facebook page, in order to elaborate about what he said in the video, claiming that his words have been “misconstrued” and misinterpreted”.
Understandably, there has been a lot of reaction to the comments I made this weekend about our strike. To ensure there is no misunderstanding about my thoughts and intentions I’m providing what I actually said and clarity/context to ensure my feelings aren’t unintentionally misinterpreted. We all know soundbites can be taken out of context and I have too much respect for my fellow union members to not clarify the record.
Stephen Amell’s Facebook post.
What I actually said:
1 “I support my union, I do, and I stand with them.”
This doesn’t need much clarity: My support is unconditional and I stand with them.
What I actually said:
2 “I do not support striking, I don’t.”
What this means in full context: I understand fundamentally why we’re here. My off the cuff use of the word “support” is clearly contradictory to my true feelings and my emphatic statement that I stand with my union. Of course I don’t like striking. Nobody does. But we have to do what we have to do.
What I said
3 “I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating.”
In full context: I’m an actor and I was speaking extemporaneously for over an hour. I emote, but I certainly don’t think these issues are simple. Our leadership has an incredibly complicated job and I am grateful for all that they do. Despite some of my terrible early acting work, I assure you, I’m not a robot. From an intellectual perspective, I understand why we are striking, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t emotionally frustrating on many levels for all involved.
What I said
4 “I think that thinking as it pertains to shows like the show that I am on that that premiered last night, I think it is myopic”
What I meant: Nothing about the strike is funny but if I may self deprecate for a moment. I have no clue what I was trying to say here and who says, “I think that thinking…?” Perhaps it was an inarticulate shoutout to our crew and cast, who mean the world to me. I’m simply sad that we don’t have a chance to celebrate a show that all of us figuratively and I literally, broke my back for.
As I said from the jump, I want to ensure that my thoughts and intentions are not misconstrued. This situation reminds of the proverb, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” which apparently, after reading a limited amount of the commentary, is a place many of you would like me to visit. However, at least for the foreseeable future, I choose to stand with my union. When you see me on a picket line please don’t whip any hard fruit. – Stephen
Meanwhile, there are other CW actors such as The Flash star; Grant Gustin, Danielle Nicolet, Danielle Panabaker and more cast, who have already been on the picket lines in May, in full support of the unions.
Will Stephen Amell actually stand by his words by stand on the picket line? Only time will tell.
