“Heels” star Stephen Amell clarified comments he made about the double strike against Hollywood studios on Instagram Tuesday.
“I want to ensure that my thoughts and intentions are not misconstrued,” Amell wrote in the caption to his post. “The situation reminds me of the proverb, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions,’ which apparently, after reading a limited amount of the commentary, is a place many of you would like me to visit. However, 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.”
Amell appeared at GalaxyCon in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he described striking as “a reductive negotiating tactic” and called it “myopic.”
In his Instagram post, Amell addressed this point he made, writing “What I meant: Nothing about the strike is funny but if I may self deprecate for a moment. I have no clue what I was trying to say here and who says, ‘I think that thinking…?’ Perhaps it was an inarticulate shoutout to our crew and cast, who mean the world to me. 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.”
Season 2 of “Heels,” in which Amell stars as Jack Spade, hit Starz Friday, two weeks into the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began July 13.
“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,” Amell wrote to clarify the “reductive negotiating tactic” comment. “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.”
The actor continued to address his speech by dividing it into “what I actually said” sections followed by what he meant. Critics of his anti-strike sentiments pointed out that Amell can afford the health insurance that many actors in the union can’t afford because they don’t make enough money annually.
“I support my union. I do, and I stand with them. I do not support striking. I don’t. I think that is a reductive negotiating tactic,” Amell said when asked about it at GalaxyCon. “I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating, and I think that the thinking, as it pertains to shows like the show that I’m on, that premiered last night, I think it’s myopic.”
For all of TheWrap’s strike coverage, click here.
