Weeks after delivering anti-strike comments during a fan convention, actor Stephen Amell was spotted on the picket line in New York on Friday. Wearing a black “SAG-AFTRA Strong” and carrying a sign, Amell was on the other side of the country from his former “Arrow” costars and creative team, who struck together in front of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank during a planned reunion picket. Those attending the reunion picket Friday included “Arrow” actors Kirk Acevedo, Katie Cassidy, Juliana Harkavy, Willa Holland, Katrina Law and Caity Lotz, as well as executive producers Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle and Beth Schwartz.
Amell earned criticism from fellow union members after seeming to speak critically about the strike on July 30 at Galaxycon in Raleigh, N.C. in a widely-distribted clip.
“I support my union, I do. And I stand with them. I do not support striking. I don’t. I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic,” he said. “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.”
On Aug. 1, Amell took to Instagram for damage control, writing, “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.”
He concluded by writing, “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… 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.”
