Stephen Amell Walks Back ‘Inarticulate’ Anti-Strike Stance Amid Intensifying Backlash — Read His Full Statement

Rebecca Iannucci
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Heels star and Arrow alum Stephen Amell is walking back his recent controversial comments about the SAG-AFTRA strike, which had instantly been met with criticism from industry peers.

In a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday, Amell sought to clarify statements he’d made at the GalaxyCon fan convention in Raleigh, N.C. on July 30. In his caption, which you can read in full below, the actor broke down each sentence he’d spoken on stage, followed by an explanation of his intended meaning.

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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.

What I actually said:
1 “I support my union, I do, and I stand with them.”This doesn’t need much clarity: My support is unconditional and I stand with them.

What I actually said:
2 “I do not support striking, I don’t.”
What this means in full context: 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.

What I said
3 “I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating.”
In full context: 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.

What I said
4 “I think that thinking as it pertains to shows like the show that I am on that that premiered last night, I think it is myopic”
What I meant: Nothing about the strike is funny but if I may self deprecate for a moment. I have no clue what I was trying to say here and who says, “I think that thinking…?” Perhaps it was an inarticulate shoutout to our crew and cast, who mean the world to me. I’m simply sad that we don’t have a chance to celebrate a show that all of us figuratively and I literally, broke my back for.

As I said from the jump, I want to ensure that my thoughts and intentions are not misconstrued. This situation reminds of the proverb, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” which apparently, after reading a limited amount of the commentary, is a place many of you would like me to visit. However, at least for the foreseeable future, I choose to stand with my union. When you see me on a picket line please don’t whip any hard fruit.

The social media backlash against Amell was swift after his convention appearance, and it included pushback from fellow Arrowverse alumni Kirk Acevedo (aka Arrow‘s Ricardo Diaz) and Matt Letscher (aka The Flash‘s Eobard Thawne). “This f—king guy,” Acevedo tweeted with eyeroll and middle-finger emojis, while Letscher joked, “Still waiting on that comprehensive list of totally non-reductive negotiating tactics we get to employ now. Thank god for superheroes!”

Members of SAG-AFTRA have been on strike since July 13 after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the collective bargaining representative for film and TV studios. The Writers Guild of America has similarly been striking since May 1 after its own talks with the AMPTP stalled.

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