Stephen Amell does “not support” the SAG-AFTRA strike
Arrow and Heels star Stephen Amell has shared his thoughts on the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and said that whilst he supports his union, explained how he does “not support striking”. This makes him one of the first actors to publicly criticise the strike.
Amell’s comments came during his recent appearance at GalaxyCon in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I feel like I’m insulated in Hollywood because that’s where I live. I feel like a lot of people in this room aren’t aware of the strike,” he said. “I support my union, I do, and I stand with them but I do not support striking. I don’t.”
The actor continued: “I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic, and I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. I think that the thinking as it pertains to shows — like this show that I’m on that premiered last night — I think it is myopic, and I stand with my union.”
Amell is one of the first actors not to support the strike since it began on July 14th, after SAG-AFTRA’s contract expired and the negotiations over pay broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
When the strike was announced, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher detailed how the union felt about the stalled negotiations with AMPTP. “We are the victims here,” she said in a speech.
She continued: “We are being victimised by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right while giving millions to CEOs. It’s disgusting, shame on them.”
In response, the CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, labelled the strike “very disturbing”.
He continued: “We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from Covid, which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption”.
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