Stephen Amell, an actor best known for playing Green Arrow in the television series “Arrow,” has joined the picket lines of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers only weeks after objecting to their position. The actor had previously described the strike as being very detrimental to the business.
The ‘Arrow’ actor was seen in Manhattan on Friday with his wife Cassandra Jean Amell while carrying a picket placard and wearing a SAG-AFTRA Strong t-shirt. The actor received harsh criticism for calling the strikers’ tactics a “ineffective negotiation strategy” in his remarks against them.
But since then, Amell seems to have altered his position; whether this is because of the harsh criticism he got or just a shift in his thinking is unclear. The actor, as quoted by Variety, clarified his position by saying: “I support my union, I do. And I support them. I oppose strike action. I don’t. It is a reductive bargaining strategy, in my opinion,” he said.
“I find the whole situation to be really annoying. I believe that the way people think about programs, such as the one I’m on that debuted last night, is narrow-minded.
Amell apologized for his criticism of the strikes in July by posting on Instagram: “I’m an actor and I was speaking impromptu for almost an hour. I may emote, but I don’t believe these problems are straightforward. Our leadership has a really difficult job, and I appreciate everything they do.
I guarantee you that I’m not a robot, despite some of my horrible early acting performances. I can intellectually grasp why we are striking, but it doesn’t make it any less emotionally draining for everyone involved.
“I’m just sorry that we don’t have a chance to celebrate a show that all of us metaphorically, and I literally broke my back for, ” he wrote in his closing statement. I decide to support my union, at least for the near future. Thank you for not whipping any hard fruit when you see me on a picket line.
However, his other ‘Arrow’ teammates were on the other end of the spectrum from the beginning since they had enthusiastically backed the strikes and actively participated in the picket lines.
Marc Guggenheim, the executive producer of the DC superhero show, organized the protest, which featured a reunion of the cast, including Juliana Harkavy, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Katrina Law, Brandon Routh, and Caity Lotz, as well as showrunners Beth Schwartz and Wendy Mericle and Caroline Dries, among others.
Since neither side is giving in or prepared to discuss anymore, the strikes have continued for more than 100 days. Writers and performers have been picketing outside many Hollywood studios all summer long in protest of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers demanding higher pay, among other parts of their new contracts.