Stephen Amell in the storm after his anti-strike remarks
The actor makes amends and tries to explain himself: “When you see me on the picket lines, please don’t throw tomatoes at me!”
Contrary to all the Hollywood stars supporting the strike in Hollywood right now, Stephen Amell surprised by denouncing the walkout or in any case the method used by the unions and in particular the SAG-AFTRA, which prohibits actors from acting but also from promoting!
Frustrating for the former starArrow as season 2 of Heels long awaited.
Except that his anti-strike remarks did not fail to sting his comrades. Even those of Arrowverse lamented the reaction of Stephen Amell. “This fucking guy”tweeted Kirk Acevedo (who played Ricardo Diaz in Arrow), while Matt Letscher (who played Eobard Thawne in The Flash) mocked Amell’s comments on the right tactic to employ for the move: “Thank God we have a superhero!“
This fucking guy🙄#KidVicious🖕🏽🐲🖕🏽 https://t.co/VWocGhxEfr
— KID VICIOUS🔪 (@kirkacevedo) August 1, 2023
Still waiting on that comprehensive list of totally non-reductive negotiating tactics we get to employ now. Thank god for superheroes! Any second now…. #SAGAFTRAstrike #SAGAFTRAstrong
— Matt Letscher (@MattLetscher) August 1, 2023
The storm begins to rise and Stephen Amell doesn’t want to be ostracized from Hollywood for his statements. So he immediately sought to put out the fire by posting long clarifications on Instagram:
“Understandably there has been a lot of reaction to the comments I made over the weekend about our strike. To make sure there is no misunderstanding of my thoughts and intentions, here is what I actually said, in context, to make sure my feelings weren’t unintentionally misinterpreted.”
Stephen Amell precise in stride “sustain“his union.”I am with them. My support is unconditional and I am with them.” But he persists: “JI can’t stand the strike, no!” Emphasizing that in this context he understands “fundamentally why we have come to this. I stand in solidarity with my union. Of course, I don’t like going on strike. Nobody likes that. But we have to do what we have to do.”
As to “negotiation tactics” evoked during his speech, Stephen Amell pleads guilty and defends himself:I’m an actor and I spoke off the cuff for over an hour. I made shortcuts. I certainly don’t think these issues are simple. Our leadership has an incredibly complicated job and I am grateful for everything they do (…) From an intellectual point of view, I understand why we are on strike, but that does not mean that it is not emotionally frustrating on many levels for everyone involved“.
Eventually, Stephen Amell confess to beingjust sad not to have the chance to celebrate our Heels series which we hold so dear (…) So when you see me on the picket lines, please don’t throw tomatoes at me!“