Stephen Amell Doubles Down In Scabbing And Criticizing The Dual Strikes
Hey, I thought Robbie was Firestorm...
Stephen Amell, you have failed this city. The Heels and Arrow star was at GalaxyCon Raleigh over the last weekend in July when he revealed he does not support the SAG-AFTRA strike, calling it “myopic”, “incredibly frustrating” and a “reductive negotiating tactic”. Which in itself the statement could be considered all three.
Keep in mind, the strike is very popular within SAG-AFTRA, as 98% of members authorized it weeks before it was called. He claims to support the union, but not the striking, which seems a bit “I like you, but not when you’re being who you are”. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are an existential fight over the industry's future. As it is still recovering from the global COVID-19 pandemic and the financial struggles it cauused, while the streaming era has seen onscreen and behind the scenes talent not being massively undercompensated at unfair and unlivable levels as CEOs take home record profits at the same time. The fight for fair contracts needs solidarity all around. Hundreds of actors are picketing together every day.
While on Tuesday the actor tried to clarify his remarks, the clarifications ended up reading like it was read exactly how it was meant to in the first place and those were his real feelings, while the clarifications and walkbacks were hastily put out to appease his PR team. Subsequently Amell spoke with TMZ explained that while he stands with his union and would be speaking with SAG leadership that day he has allegedly privately received support from other actors who agree with him. In a follow-up clip (via @sagesurge), Amell added that he wishes the initial comments had never reached the public, despite being told to a convention-going public, saying this:
I understand the strike on an intellectual level - striking is not the only form of negotiating. If there is a positive thing to take away from this - and believe me, Harvey, I'm searching for the positives right now because the past day or so has not been the most fun - if there is a positive here, I would like to think that on some shape or form I can encourage people to get back to the table and negotiate. I think, again, one of the silver linings that come out of this is [the SAG meeting] to show them how much I support them and want to stand with them. But just because I agree with...you know, I love my co-workers, I love my wife, and I love my kids very much, that doesn't mean that I always agree with the choices that they make. But I will never ever leave them in a time of need and I won't do that to my union.
A lot of whining about how he’s not having fun, and how he doesn’t agree with their choices to ensure the way they make their living would still be viable, and he has to be begged to be believed. He then goes on to claim that a lot of people are supporting him, inundating with supportive texts, but just because people like what he says doesn’t make it the smart or right thing. The Flash’s Danielle Panabaker posted on Instagram her picketing with castmates Danielle Nicolet (Cecile), Kayla Compton (Allegra) and Victoria Park (Kamilla) as well as Arrow showrunner for its final two seasons Beth Schwartz and Superman & Lois’s Bitsie Tulloch. He lauded the people who agreed with him but wouldn’t mention that anyone tried to help him understand. He doesn’t once bring up the issues, he just impatiently wants them back at the negotiating table, while hiding away to let it blow over. And that’s just not right. This has probably damaged Amell’s career considerably, as even with the public it may have outed himself as the castmate Colton Haynes couldn’t stand working with, triggering his departure. His threatening to shut down an animal shelter also resurfaced during this time. And his empty words to the thousands of actors and writers will surely sour any chance they’ll want to work with him.
Sources: FandomWire, ScreenRant, E!