It’s a fine line for actors who have lodged varying levels of irritation with work-stoppage rules surrounding the SAG-AFTRA strike, and context matters when it comes to how these complaints are received.
For example, Arrow star Stephen Amell rubbed people the wrong way while likely feeling frustrated about not promoting Starz’s Heels Season 2. His initial “I do not support striking” (while calling it “myopic”) eventually led to some backlash and clarification, “I support my union … This doesn’t need much clarity.” He then added, “Of course I don’t like striking. Nobody does. But we have to do what we have to do.”
Whereas Mayans M.C. lead J.D. Pardo took a different route by gently calling out strike vouchers (and not the strike itself) after the picket-line phenomenon prevented the FX show’s cast from live-tweeting the finale in their customary way. In doing so, Pardo wrote, “I do find it funny that vouchers are being handed out to continue filming, but I can’t talk about my show that ended after 6 years of hard work.”
And now there’s Zachary Levi, who (let’s just say) can grow visibly emotional at times. He had a social-media meltdown following the box-office demise of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and now, an isolated clip has surfaced to show Levi (perhaps jokingly) talking about how it’s “so dumb” to not discuss everything from Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel to Tangled. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, this clip isn’t brand new and appears to be taken from Manchester Comic-Con in July:
“I’m not allowed to talk about…. This is so dumb. I’m not allowed to talk about any of my previous work… I’m not allowed to talk about movies that I may be a superhero in. I’m not allowed to talk about TV shows that I may have been a nerd who worked at a Best Buy. I’m not allowed to talk about any animated princess movies that I was fantastic in — as the best prince ever! I’m not allowed to talk about those things.”
Stephen Amell crying about the #SAGAFTRA strike guidelines now we have Zachary Levi… pic.twitter.com/PnDyRuHfGL
— ⚡️PJ⚡️ (@PJocky82) August 3, 2023
Obviously, the clip does not include what Levi declared in the surrounding moments above, but this might not go over well. Levi is known to be slightly abrasive when addressing something that he doesn’t agree with, after all. However, here is a previous video clip of Levi expressing support for the SAG-AFTRA strikes.
UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter relays a statement from Levi, who insists that he was speaking “in jest” with these remarks, which were “taken out of context”:
“It’s come to my attention that an offhand remark I made in jest last weekend is being taken out of context,” Levi said in a statement Friday. “So let me be very clear. I fully support my union, the WGA, and the strike. I remain an outspoken critic of the exploitative system that us artists are subject to work in since I started my journey in this business 25 years ago. This strike is necessary to protect ourselves, our writers, and all those working in production who make the industry move.”
(Via Hollywood Reporter)