Highlights
- Arrow star Stephen Amell disagrees with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, calling it a reductive negotiating tactic and expressing frustration.
- Amell's dissenting opinion stands out among others in the industry, as most have shown strong support for the strike action.
- As an active member of the union, Amell's own work on the series Heels has been affected by the strike, leading to understandable frustration and concerns.
UPDATE: Stephen Amell issued a statement regarding his comments about the actor's 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," Amell wrote in an Instagram post attached below.
The original story follows.
Arrow star Stephen Amell has come out against the SAG-AFTRA strike action currently underway. His criticism of the strike comes as it nears the one-month mark with little to no signs of slowing or positive action on the part of the companies at the center of the scrutiny.
Starting in 2012 and kicking off the pointedly named Arrowverse, the CW's Arrow chronicled the adventures of Oliver Queen, a rich socialite who undergoes a trial by fire when he’s stranded on a deserted island alone and is forced to learn and adapt. The experience leaves him with impeccable marksmanship, acrobatic skills, and a newfound clarity of self and justice. The show remained an integral part of the CW's lineup, with its eventual close spawning concerns about what to call the Arrowverse in its absence.
Amell, who played Oliver Queen throughout Arrow's run, recently gave a dissenting opinion on the strike action currently affecting nearly all film and TV projects, even independent projects like Dimension 20 and Critical Role. Variety reports that Amell addressed the topic at a fan Q&A at Galaxycon in Raleigh, N.C. "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," he said. “I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. I think the thinking as it pertains to shows — like the show that I’m on that premiered last night — I think it’s myopic."
Amell, who has previously stated that he wouldn’t mind working with the CW again if he was returning for a darker take on the Green Arrow, is the most prominent member of SAG-AFTRA to voice his disagreement with the strike action that has received almost unanimous support from everyone in the industry who has spoken on the matter publicly. Other prominent figures like George R. R. Martin have supported it, with the Game of Thrones creator calling it “the most important of [his] lifetime” and suggesting that it might be a long and bitter experience for everyone involved. The comments have already made the rounds on social media, with people expressing their opinions on his perspective.
Amell has seen both sides of the action as an active union member whose latest work on the second season of Heels, a wrestling-based drama series, has collided with the strike action. It’s understandable to see how the derailment might negatively affect Amell, as the project has taken up most of his time between wrapping on Arrow and his return for the Arrowverse franchise’s curtain call on the final season of The Flash. While it is unclear what alternatives Amell might have in mind for resolving the issues presented by the union, some of his frustrations with the strike stem from an actor’s point of view and shouldn’t be thoughtlessly dismissed.
Arrow is available on Netflix.
Source: Variety