Arrow and Heels star Stephen Amell says he does not support striking

Amell insists that supports his union, but he says striking is a "myopic" negotiation tactic

By Sam Barsanti  |  August 1, 2023 | 12:35am
Aux News Stephen Amell
Arrow and Heels star Stephen Amell says he does not support striking
Stephen Amell Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for FilmRise

It’s been a few weeks since SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on strike, with the two unions fighting back against the Alliance Of Motion Picture And Television Producers—a.k.a. the AMPTP, which represents the major Hollywood studios and TV networks—for much needed protections and benefits that would account for a negligible share of the astronomical amount of money that the studios make from the work of actors and writers, and while the things SAG-AFTRA and the WGA are asking for seem both reasonable and integral to the future of acting and writing (not to mention the future of movies and television, if framing it that way is more meaningful to you), there are apparently some people in Hollywood who feel differently.

Take Stephen Amell, the former star of Arrow and current star of Starz’s Heels, who—when presented with an opportunity to say nothing— chose to speak out against the act of striking in general, calling it “myopic” and a “reductive negotiating tactic” that is “incredibly frustrating.” Amell bravely shared that hot take during a recent appearance at Galaxycon in North Carolina (via Deadline) after being asked about the SAG-AFTRA strike, saying (after a pause so pregnant that he shouldn’t tell Felicity Smoak about it, which is a reference to a bad plot point on Arrow), “I support my union, I do, and I stand with them, but I do not support striking. I don’t.”

Amell specifically mentioned his frustration with how the strike (and presumably SAG-AFTRA’s rules against promoting struck work) “pertains to shows like the show that I’m on, that premiered last night,” referring to Heels, which seems to indicate that he’d have less of a problem with the strike if it weren’t directly impacting him—which is a viewpoint that someone might hypothetically call… myopic. But it’s okay, because he says he supports his union! Just not right now, when it’s on strike for better working conditions.

 
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