Stephen Amell, known for Heels and Arrow, clarifies controversial comments he made about the strike recently while attending the Galaxycon in Raleigh, NC.
Amell told the crowd the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike is “myopic,” “incredibly frustrating” and a “reductive negotiating tactic.”
“I support my union, I do, and I stand with them, but I do not support striking, I don’t,” he said. “I think it is a reductive negotiating tactic, and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. And I think the thinking as it pertains to shows like the show that I’m on [Heels], that premiered last night, I think it’s myopic.”
Now Stephen Amell has taken to Instagram to offer an update and clarify that his comments came out of context.
“Understandably, there has been a lot of reaction to the comments I made this weekend about our strike. To ensure there is no misunderstanding about my thoughts and intentions I’m providing what I actually said and clarity/context to ensure my feelings aren’t unintentionally misinterpreted. We all know soundbites can be taken out of context and I have too much respect for my fellow union members to not clarify the record,” posted Amell.
Amell added, “My support is unconditional and I stand with them” and said, ” I understand fundamentally why we’re here. 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.”
Amell also said, “I’m an actor and I was speaking extemporaneously for over an hour. 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. Despite some of my terrible early acting work, I assure you, I’m not a robot. From an intellectual perspective, I understand why we are striking, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t emotionally frustrating on many levels for all involved.”
Read the full post below.
