Stephen Amell joins stars on the picket line following controversial strike comments
Sandra Bernhard, F. Murray Abraham, Ronny Chieng, Jason Sudeikis, and many more have already taken to the picket lines amid the SAG-AFTRA strike
Aux News Stephen Amell
The SAG-AFTRA strike is reaching a month, sending Hollywood’s ongoing labor crisis—what with all the writers having already been on strike 100 days and all at this point—into full-blown emergency mode. And while actors have already been out on the picket lines in force in recent weeks, showing their support for the WGA, they’re showing up even more abundantly now that their own union is also out on the lines.
One person who notably showed up on these lines on August 11 was Arrow actor Stephen Amell. The actor drew fire last month for saying he found striking to be a “reductive negotiating tactic,” going on to say, “I support my union, I do, and I stand with them, but I do not support striking. I don’t.” Though he walked back some of the comments in the following days, his appearance on the picket line sends the strongest signal yet that he actually stands with the union as they fight for fair pay.
Meanwhile, a glut of famous performers—and New York representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez—have been on the lines for weeks. And, since we likely won’t be seeing any of these performers in TV shows or movies for a minute—at least, once the current glut of already developed material runs out, sending the studios into “reality TV and foreign imports and desperation” mode—we’re just going to have to turn to the picket line itself to get our famous folk fix. So, here you go: A look at some of the biggest names out on the lines so far, in both Los Angeles and New York.
67 Comments
You know, I’ll admit it, I was very dismissive of the idea that The AV Club needed to move their whole operation to Los Angeles just so they could “be closer to the action.” I thought their Chicago location was perfectly fine for 90% of their responsibilities. But it’s real nice to have them be so close to Hollywood so that they can have their boots on the ground, going out there in the middle of all the action and doing the real journalistic work that makes this site what it is.
You can’t bring Sean O’Neal back just by doing snark better than the AV Club currently does it! Although I appreciate the effort.
Yep, it takes a hardened breed of journo to pick through Getty Images instead of going outside.
Since those pictures were taken and uploaded in Los Angeles, the AV Club staff had access to them 0.00000000000000001 seconds faster than everyone else! (I’m pretty sure that’s how the internet works).
And to imagine, at the time people called former AOL Moviefone impresario/current AV Club Editor in Chief Scott Robson such nasty things as “a no-talent, parasitical hack,” “a pointless nonentity,” “an amoral ghoul,” and “a real dipshit fuckface.” He sure proved them wrong!
Yo, that’s Dermot Mulroney.
Close enough.
To be honest it’s very hard to tell them apart:
Or is that Dermot Mulroney?
Hahahahaha. I didn’t look close with the hat and aviators on during my go thru, went back on your comment and you’re right.Enjoy your star.
I honestly can’t tell
I am 100% certain it is Mulroney.ETA: You can tell because of the scar over his lip.
That scar marks where he stitched together his human skin suit.
It’s a veritable who’s who of C listers!
If they can’t work, they can still keep their faces (and performances) in front of the camera. I’m surprised there aren’t more thirsty A-listers here. Sorry I sound cynical. Yes, represent.
It’s okay. As much as I respect this union actions there is a good chance some of the big names here are just walking the line for a day to get the photo op in to say they were there. It’s a cynical industry
It is. This probably sounds very naive, but when I was younger I never though tv would become so Huge. I’m biased because I dislike so much of it. But we are a performance centered species, so…
So what if some of the big names here are just making appearances to get the photo op in to check a box. A-listers don’t really need to get involved, they don’t need to worry about minimums and meeting health insurance requirements. It still has a very positive impact on attention and coverage on the strike. The media doesn’t love covering the nobodies in the union who suffer the most in these situations. Yes it’s a cynical industry, but even if they benefit in a cynical way the stars are also helping.
It’s okay to be cynical. I think it’s also okay to recognize that realistically, it’s summer. Not every A-Lister is necessarily in town near a picket line. It doesn’t mean that they won’t show up. I would say to be equally cynical, I don’ know that a literal picket line will turn the tide here. Speaking to exactly the changing model issues at the heart of the strike, I would like to see more A-Listers making big statements and viral content on social media that gets eyes on it, tbh.
Don’t tell Britta that Blade is on the picket line
That sure is a lot of smiling. It’s weird and kinda ridiculous. This is not a time for photo ops. There is going to be actual suffering from those at the bottom of this fight.
Go look at photos/videos of the WGA picket lines, they’re similarly upbeat. You’ve gotta keep the spirits high when you’re spending hours a day marching in the summer heat, not drawing a paycheck.Plus, take another look at the photos…the Fame-Os are marching right alongside the Under Fives, and the paparazzi aren’t on strike. If you’re gonna get papped, might as well put on a happy face.
They’re suffering, sure, but they’re smiling because they see the support they’ve got from their fellow actors, but I guess Bark doesn’t relate to people enough understand that.
what a stupid complaint. you’re an idiot
I think your comment is weird and ridiculous.
isn’t there a heatwave and it’s like 110 degrees out there?that’s some good acting. give the people their damn money and health care!
I mean those photo ops keep eyes and attention on the issue.Look in the backgrounds of those pictures – the non-stars are pretty upbeat too. There is a sense of comradery about the situation and making the worst of a bad situation. If they were frowning would that make any difference?
People are often upbeat at protests. They’re enjoying the sense of community and seeing so many people fighting for what they’re fighting for. It’s weird and ridiculous that you think they don’t know there will be (or already is) suffering. You’ll be surprised to learn there was singing and even sometimes laughing at civil rights protests in the 1960s, and they knew suffering like you wouldn’t believe.
Saw an interesting Facebook post today about this and how the actors should be more concerned about other issues in this country that need attention than what they are complaining about (yet again). Didn’t we just have an actor’s strike less than 10 years ago?I do see the point they are making concerning streaming shows and such (though I think the A.I. thing is a reach). It reminds me of how actors from the got-popular-after-they-aired shows from the 60’s and 70’s like Trek TOS and Gilligan’s Island got shafted. I feel bad for the ComicCon fans who aren’t going to see anyone outside of some behind the scenes people. I really don’t know why the actors at least can’t go, but from what I read from B5’s JMS, the actors were booked through SAG, so that makes it so they can’t (I suppose they could if they really wanted to, but who knows the punishment might be if they did). Before hearing that, I thought if an actor gave back the money and showed up on their own dime, it wouldn’t matter.
Didn’t we just have an actor’s strike less than 10 years ago?No.They’re calling out corporations for hoarding wealth. That’s absolutely an issue that affects the rest of the country.
Leave it to the internet to say that wages in one of the nation’s largest industries aren’t an issue of importance, but Comic Con is.
Nah, just leave it to this one dumbass.
As far as whether they should be focused on something of greater concern, maybe. Maybe we all should be.
However, the strike isn’t a millionaires vs billionaires kind of thing. The bigger concern is lower level actors getting a living wage/health insurance/employment security/etc.
This. The high profile actors are there to support the actors who are not the Clooneys, Janneys, etc. The press pays attention because of them walking the picket line, and explaining that actors who aren’t award nominated and household names still do a job that deserves a decent wage, esp since they too appear in shows that are highly successful. The background people, extras, stand ins, etc. This isn’t to make sure Brad Pitt or Meryl Streep make an extra million for their next project. It’s to ensure that the people who aren’t A list can pay their rent.
how the actors should be more concerned about other issues in this country that need attention than what they are complaining aboutSo, what, actors should just suck shit from their employers because other bad things are also happening? That makes no fucking sense
This is what’s known as “There are children starving in Africa” logic.
Because we all know we are only allowed to care about one thing. Idiots.
If you don’t think your employer isn’t trying to come up with ways to replace you with AI or some other kind of technology in the name of efficiency, you aren’t paying attention.
If AI can explain to Trader Joe’s shoppers that the employees don’t set prices, nor do we discontinue products just for kicks, while checking out a cart with $300 worth of food and smiling while they bitch that there isn’t a store within a mile of their house, have at it AI.You’ll be curled up in the corner crying after one shift.
For the uninitiated, “efficiency” in the biz world means “profitability”.Ah, you might say: but I’m better than any AI! They can’t replace me!Sure. But if you’re costing them $50,000 for good work, and an AI licence costs them only $2000 a year work that’s only a tenth as good, well…do the maths.
Pete knows the score
Hell, sites like AVC et al are good examples: they got their start by having lower overheads than print media. They gutted a lot of the entertainment/gossip rags’ margins by dint of not having to pay for paper, ink, logistics.Is the quality the same? I’d say no – if only because the mechanics and restrictions of physical media meant you really couldn’t fuck around with quality. It’s a piece of cake to change an error on a website; try doing that with 500,000 copies of a magazine that are halfway out to newsagents. You had to get it right. Similarly, with AI, so what if it keeps spitting out spelling errors, or shonky code, or artwork that looks like something Dali painted while on the bad acid? Shit, it’s not like it spent seven hours on it, at $20/hour or whatever you’re paying your meatbag employees. It took 20 minutes, and cost you probably more in electricity than it did in pro rata licence fees.
“Saw an interesting Facebook post today about this and how the actors should be more concerned about other issues in this country that need attention than what they are complaining about (yet again).”
Shouldn’t people on facebook be more concerned about things that affect them rather than complaining about actors?
No, you didn’t see an interesting Facebook post today about this, you saw a stupid person’s straw man argument who either doesn’t understand labor disputes or is willfully obtuse. Why would actors be more concerned about other issues in this country that need attention their own livelihoods and the people being squeezed in their own industry? Even if there was an actor’s strike less than 10 years ago, why would it have any bearing on the things they are fighting for today? The fact that your conclusion on the situation is that you “feel bad for the ComicCon fans” perfectly encapsulates your understanding of the situation…
the punishment for “just showing up… if they really want to” could include being kicked out of the union for undermining its negotiating position. a strike means a strike. that means withholding labor, including promotional labor.
if not seeing your favorite stars at comic con makes you sad, then by all means write to the studios and tell them to come back to the table with reasonable offers and a good faith attitude.
bUt WhAtAbOuT wOrLd hUnGeR!!!!!?!!?!!
Not even world hunger. ComicCon… World hunger comes second to ComicCon fans.
Everyone giving you thoughtful replies and all I think you deserve is:
Eat shit, scab.
The actors can’t go to Comic Con because they shouldn’t be promoting work created by the studios. Fan goes to a con, buys merch to sign – that money goes to the studio. Fan goes to con and hears about a project, they go pay to watch it – that money goes to the studio. So even if you take the booking agents out of it it’s still problematic. The average salary of a SAG-AFTRA actor is $40k per year. As Drescher and others have pointed out, the business model for releasing tv and movies has changed. The contract needs to change to reflect that. Beyond that, studios are being utterly ghoulish about AI. What if your employer told you they were going to take a picture of you, own that likeness forever, and use it however they wanted in the future? You’d probably get a little concerned too. That’s effectively what studios want to do to extras.
I feel I’ve heard several people say that Comic-Con may even be reduced to being centered on… Le gasp… comics this year. Where’s my fainting couch? (Tickets should be cheap at least. “Should” be, anyway.)
Inevitable Completely Interchangeable That-Guy : “There are so many other issues we / they can not talk about in front of me.” :: Moth : flameWanna elaborate on some of those interesting Facebook post issues, or was that a narrative device?
“should be more concerned about other issues in this country that need attention than what they are complaining about”Issues like exploitation of workers for unfair pay due to unchecked capitalism and corporate greed? Issues like that?Why are you feeling bad for ComicCon fans when you should be feeling bad about other issues in this country that need your attention?
Labor rights are a big enough issue. Under capitalism, fighting to end institutional labor exploitation is pretty much THE issue. Exploiting labor has been the bedrock of US history and our current system is very much predicated on keeping that exploitation in place, albeit in more covert ways than the slavery and indentured servitude that got the US started on its manifest destiny-BS rampage.The country just got out of a lockdown where most of us were left poorer except for a handful of the incredibly overpaid .01%. Solidarity is the order of the day, not “oh aren’t there more important things?” This is important, it’s a worthwhile fight, and if you work for a living I would aim my criticism at the overpaid execs arguing for everyone else to make less. They simply aren’t that valuable.The American rich are a total resource suck. This country has enough to go around so everyone can thrive if we stop this farce of overvaluing the few while undervaluing everyone else. It’s a stupid way to run things.
Nope. But a little factual table-setting might help you out.Netflix began streaming films and shows in 2007. In 2007 (into 2008) in the last strike, the WGA (and the DGA and SAG as well, in their re-negotiations), were well aware that streaming was starting to exist – but it was nascent, only being done by Netflix (which wasn’t yet an AMTPT member or signatory to any agreements – or even really a Production entity yet), and it was still in actuality an experimental platform. So the guilds all knowingly and cooperatively let Streaming “slide” as an issue until the next negotiations, and didn’t (nor did they have leverage to) press for fairer residuals or any kind of success/exposure/viewership metrics that such payments depend upon.But now streaming is prevalent, dependable, and popular, so it’s come to a head. This happens every time, with new technology fostering new issues. This time the economics are much starker, amid the BG of the corporation consolidating and getting wealthier, and there isn’t any sort of clear compromise. AI is a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed as well – and may well need adjustments in the future.
Fuck everyone else! I wanna hear more about that turtle!
If it weren’t for the strike he’d be doing interviews for the new Ninja Turtles movie right now. He plays their long-lost biological father, Giuseppe Carlito Fettuccine.
Cowabunga!
That’s definitely *not* Kirk Fox.
Does Allison Janney not know about the existence of documentaries?
You’d think if they’re not working, some of these guys could take time to get a shave.
Love Mandy Moore’s, Allison Janey’s, and especially Gillian Jacobs’ (no surprise the redhead has the best survival gear for going outside) sunhats. A friend of mine who has long been doing the mandatory 4 hour shifts on the WGA side and is now as they put it ‘doubly unemployed’ given their SAG membership has mentioned the first weeks of the picket lines weren’t bad – they had to bundle up at the beginning with typical ‘OMG it’s freezing today!’ (LA speak for being in the 60s) complaints – but it’s gotten roasty recently, so the protection is needed.Hopefully Drew Carey will quietly keep funding a couple of places for grub for the strikers, which hasn’t been publicized much but is very much appreciated.
They’re all here…Dave Bore! All Jan! And my favorite, Christ Sla!
Sad way to force a slideshow in there!And of all the names at your disposal, you lead with David Boreanaz in the headline?
I’m fairly certain that’s not Kirk Fox (looks too young), but it could be that guy that was an EMT in Cocaine Bear.
Way to show up, Stanley.
TIL that David Boreanaz has two As in his last name. I thought it was Boreanz all this time.
[Amell’s] appearance on the picket line sends the strongest signal yet that he actually stands with the union as they fight for fair pay.Or it sends a strong signal that his PR team is really working overtime to repair his image. He’s been accused of scabbing too, hasn’t he?