‘Suits LA’ Star Stephen Amell ‘Worried’ Comments About SAG Strike Would Ruin His Career

Stephen Amell is back on the small screen in Suits LA later this month, but there was a time when he feared he might not work in Hollywood again. Amid the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023, Amell made controversial comments condemning the union’s decision to walk out, which sparked major backlash.

The Arrow star told Variety that he “absolutely worried” that the controversy would have an affect on his career. But six months later, he landed the leading role of Ted Black in Suits LA, and he is assuring fans that he’s aware of the responsibility that position holds.

“I’m part of a team, and there are a lot of people counting on me,” he explained. “I could stand to be more thoughtful.”

When SAG-AFTRA went on strike to protest for better pay, working conditions, and more, Amell said striking was a “reductive negotiating tactic” and “myopic.” He now recognizes that “not everything that comes to mind should be spoken into a microphone” and agrees that the strike was “catastrophic” for members of the union (it took four months for a deal to be reached, which meant that members were out of work for an extended period of time).

“I still think that striking is the nuclear option. That is the point that I was trying to make,” Amell added. “I just think I need to be a little bit more patient.”

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While he never plans to subscribe to the idea of, “You’re an actor, stay in your lane,” Amell acknowledged that he needs “to do a better job of really thinking about what I say publicly and the potential impact it could have.” He continued, “It felt like the world was ending. To be at the eye of an internet storm like that … everything is really small, and you feel like everyone’s looking at you. I literally thought I was being side-eyed at the gym or dropping my kids off at school.”

He also addressed the eight years he spent starring on Arrow from 2012-2020. “The first two or three years of Arrow, I was gripping so tight. I was white-knuckling it,” he said. “The hours were long. By the time we got to the fifth episode of the first season, I’d worked more on that show than I’d ever worked on anything in my life. I was never a monster. I was never disrespectful. But I had a short fuse. And you learn as you go.”

Suits LA, Series Premiere, Sunday, February 23, 9/8c, NBC