Summary
- Zachary Levi's recent comments about the SAG-AFTRA strike, whether made in jest or not, highlight the frustration experienced by actors who are unable to fully interact with their fans due to the strike rules.
- Despite his previous remarks, Levi is now clarifying that he fully supports the strike and criticizes the exploitative system that artists work under. He believes the strike is necessary to protect the industry and its workers.
- The ongoing strike actions in Hollywood present a dilemma for actors, who must balance their support for the union with their desire to engage with and appreciate their fans. A resolution to the strikes is crucial to prevent the situation from worsening.
Zachary Levi has addressed his recently revealed views on the SAG-AFTRA strike in a new statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Earlier today a video of Levi appearing at a fan event began swirling the internet, showing the Shazam star bemoaning the fact that he is banned from discussing any of his movies due to the current strike actions. To clarify the comments with a little more detail, Levi said:
"It's come to my attention that an offhand remark I made in jest last weekend is being taken out of context. 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. But we also cannot forget our fans during this strike. Fans that spend their money and energy traveling far distances to talk with us about our work that means so much to them, we should be able to engage. Our business exists and succeeds because of the fans, and I think it's imperative we appreciate them for their support of our careers."
It is very easy to see both sides of the dilemma Hollywood stars are facing right now, caught between supporting the actor’s union in its action, but also feeling bad for the many fans who they cannot service as fully as they would like. For everyone, a swift resolution to the current strikes, both for actors and writers, has to come in order to prevent the whole situation getting worse, but that unfortunately doesn’t seem to be on the cards just yet.
Zachary Levi’s Comments Show Why the Strikes Are a Tightrope Walk.
The comments made at the weekend by Levi, in jest or not, show how the frustration of the strike actions are in direct conflict with their necessity. In the released video, Levi is seen telling the audience that the “dumb” rules of the current strike ban him from being able to fully interact with his fans as he cannot talk about any of the movies or films that he has been a part of, no matter how old they are.
However, while the remarks could be considered undermining to the cause, Levi previously shared a more serious video on his own Instagram account in which he called for everyone to stand together during the strikes.
"[The studio executives] do not care about human life, they don't care about, really, life in general. They care about profits. It's always profit over people and not the other way around," Levi argued. "So, mark my words, if we don't do something drastic right now… we're doing something very drastic, and we need to be doing this very drastic thing. We need to be striking, we should have done this years ago."
No doubt there will be plenty more contentious moments to come in the near future until the strike actions are somehow resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, something that does not seem to be on the horizon just yet.