Stephen Amell Walks the Picket Line After Backtracking on Comments About ‘Frustrating’ Actors’ Strike

Stephen Amell is joining the SAG-AFTRA picket line after all. 

On Friday, Amell, 42, was photographed walking the picket line with his union outside of Warner Bros. Discovery in New York City. He also sported a “SAG-AFTRA Strong” shirt and carried a picket sign.

The sighting comes after the Arrow star received backlash in July for comments he made about the SAG-AFTRA strike. Speaking at Galaxycon, Amell called striking “incredibly frustrating” and “myopic,” criticizing the union’s rules against promoting current or past SAG work.

“I support my union, I do. And I stand with them. I do not support striking. I don’t,” he said at the time. “I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic. 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.”

Stephen Amell.
Phillip Faraone/WireImage

Stephen Amell Clarifies His ‘Misinterpreted’ Strike Comments: ‘I Have No Clue What I Was Trying to Say’

Afterwards, sveral Arrowverse stars called out his comments on social media.

Amell’s former Arrow costar Kirk Acevedo tweeted, “This f—ing guy.” Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash alum Matt Lescher wrote, “Still waiting on that comprehensive list of totally non-reductive negotiating tactics we get to employ now. Thank god for superheroes! Any second now….” 

Shortly after the negative responses surfaced, Amell attempted to clarify his controversial strike comments in a long Instagram caption. He stressed that his support for the union is “unconditional” and noted that “we all know soundbites can be taken out of context.”

“I understand fundamentally why we’re here,” he wrote. “My off the cuff use of the word ‘support’ is clearly contradictory to my true feelings and my emphatic statement that I stand with my union. Of course I don’t like striking. Nobody does. But we have to do what we have to do.”

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“I’m an actor and I was speaking extemporaneously for over an hour,” he continued. “I emote, but I certainly don’t think these issues are simple. Our leadership has an incredibly complicated job and I am grateful for all that they do.”

Amell added that he understands the strike from an “intellectual perspective,” but still maintained that it’s an “emotionally frustrating” situation for him and others. He concluded his post in the comments section by reiterating his support for SAG-AFTRA.

“At least for the foreseeable future, I choose to stand with my union,” he wrote. “When you see me on a picket line please don’t whip any hard fruit.”

Stephen Amell attends the premiere of the new STARZ series “Heels” on August 10, 2021 in Los Angeles.

Michael Kovac/Getty

SAG Strike Rules: What Hollywood Actors Can and Can’t Do Until a Resolution Is Reached

SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14. They’re joined on the picket line by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which began striking on May 2.

The actors are seeking better pay and residuals from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), as well as the regulation of artificial intelligence and other asks.

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Many Hollywood stars have since hit the picket lines to support the strike, including Mariska Hargitay, Hilary Duff, Francia Raisa, Bryan Cranston and Jason Sudeikis.

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Source: HIS Education