Stephen Amell Clarifies Anti-Strike Comments in Lengthy Statement
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Following comments he made at GalaxyCon, a fan convention in Raleigh, North Carolina, Stephen Amell has issued a lengthy statement on social media.
It was during a panel at the aforementioned event that Amell said, “I support my union. I do, and I stand with them. I do not support striking. I don’t. I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic, and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. And I think that the thinking as it pertains to shows like the show that I’m on that premiered last night [Heels], I think it’s myopic.”
His remarks received backlash from his costars, others in the industry, and fans. SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on strike in July, and as part of that, actors are not allowed to promote their shows (such as via interviews or social media).
“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,” Amell wrote in the caption of his Instagram post.
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He reiterated his “unconditional” support for his union and that he stands with them. He then added to his remark about not supporting striking, “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.”
Regarding calling striking “a reductive negotiating tactic” and “incredibly frustrating,” Amell noted that he’s an actor and spoke for over an hour at the convention. “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,” he said. “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.”
His statement then continued in the comments of his post addressing “I think that thinking as it pertains to shows like the show that I am on that premiered last night, I think it is myopic.” He admits, “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.”
Amell concluded his statement by recalling the proverb “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and referring to some of the reactions he has received after his original comments made their way online with, “[hell] 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.”
Actors have been on strike since July 14, after SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach an agreement on issues including AI, residuals, and more. Writers have been on strike since May 2.
