Actor Stephen Amell, famous for The CW’s so-called Arrow-verse of superhero shows and now on the STARZ wrestling show Heels, has taken a heel turn of his own in the eyes of those supporting the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes.
While speaking at a fan Q&A session at GalaxyCon in Raleigh, North Carolina, over the weekend, Amell was asked about the ongoing Hollywood strikes. According to video at the event, the actor said, “I support my union. I do, and I stand with them.” He then added, “I do not support striking. I don’t. I think it’s a reductive negotiating tactic, and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating.”
The actor also called the strikes “myopic” because SAG-AFTRA rules specifically forbid actors from promoting the shows they’ve worked on.
Amell’s comments drew flak from his fellow actors. Matt Letscher, who played the villain Eobard Thawn/Reverse Flash on the show The Flash, sniped, “Still waiting on that comprehensive list of totally non-reductive negotiating tactics we get to employ now.”
One of Letscher’s followers replied, “Reverse Flash was actually a lesser villain than Green Arrow. Who knew????”
Many used a gif from Arrow, with Amell’s character expressing, “You have failed this city.”
The backlash led Amell to extensively dissect his “extemporaneous” comment on Instagram on Tuesday, August 1, so he’s not “unintentionally misinterpreted.”
In part, the actor said his union “support is unconditional,” adding, “Of course I don’t like striking. Nobody does. But we have to do what we have to do.”
He closed the lengthy post by saying, “I choose to stand with my union. When you see me on a picket line please don’t whip any hard fruit.”
Apparently, the self-deprecation didn’t help: Plenty of virtual fruit was lobbed in the comments.
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