Early last month, Arrow star Stephen Amell became the highest-profile actor to speak out against the SAG-AFTRA strike, and his comments led to a significant amount of backlash from others in the industry, including some of his former Arrowverse cast-mates.
“I support my union, I do, and I stand with them, but I do not support striking, I don’t," Amell 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.”
Amell would later attempt to clarify his comments and "ensure that his feelings aren’t unintentionally misinterpreted," but his lengthy statement didn't exactly have the desired effect.
Heels, the popular wrestling drama series Amell was frustrated about not being able to promote, has now been cancelled by Starz after two seasons, and showrunner Mike O'Malley revealed that he called his star up after his comments went public to make him aware of how much his anti-strike sentiment was "going to distract from the hard work" that was being done.
"I called Stephen and I spoke to him about it," O'Malley tells EW. "What he was trying to talk about is that he loved the show, and he had an incredible pride in the show. We knew that [his comments] were going to distract from the hard work that the people in both the WGA, of which I'm a member, and SAG-AFTRA, were doing. And I knew that immediately because I had been on the picket line. When I heard and I called him up, I said, 'Stephen, man, we all got to stand together.' He got it immediately."
O'Malley went on to note that he does genuinely believe Amell simply "put his foot in his mouth" at the time.
"I just think it was an unfortunate moment; I genuinely think that he put his foot in his mouth. He felt bad about it. My initial reaction was just like, 'Ah man, I know how this is going to play, and I've got to talk to him about it because I don't think he meant it to come across the way that it did.' I think he was basically saying was what a lot of people were saying, which was that they were frustrated that they couldn't work. But I know where his heart is, and his heart is standing with his union, as he said."
Whether you happen to buy O'Malley's explanation or not, some feel that it might be a case of "damage done" when it comes to Amell and his future career prospects.