Stephen Amell, whose Starz drama series Heels returned for its second season over the weekend, is not going to the mat for the actors strike that is rattling in Hollywood.
Amell, best known for playing the lead role in The CW’s Arrow, has called the SAG-AFTRA strike “myopic,” “incredibly frustrating” and a “reductive negotiating tactic.”
Amell has become one of, if not the most, high-profiles actors to speak out against the Fran Drescher-led SAG AFTRA strike against the AMPTP. While both the actors and writers strikes have received positive support from a majority of union and guild members publicly, it’s important to note that not everyone supports them.
“I support my union, I do, and I stand with them, but I do not support striking, I don’t,” he said during an appearance at Galaxycon in Raleigh, NC. “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.”
In June, nearly 98% of SAG-AFTRA members voted in favor of handing SAG-AFTRA leadership authorization to walk out, with nearly half of eligible members casting ballots. It called the strike on July 13.
A-list stars such as George Clooney, Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain are among those that have publicly supported the walkout, in addition to thousands of others that have appeared on picket lines across Los Angeles and New York.
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