Summary
- Hollywood is experiencing a significant divide, with studios and content creators facing a critical moment where no one is winning.
- Zachary Levi, star of Shazam!, expressed frustration over the "dumb" rules that prevent him from discussing his previous work and upcoming projects.
- Stephen Amell, from Arrow, also criticized the strike actions, suggesting that there was a lack of consideration for imminent releases and that the situation should not be seen as black and white.
Hollywood is a hugely divided place to work right now. Studios and the people who make their content happen are at a critical moment in which, currently, no one is winning, and the edges are starting fray in many ways. As upcoming movies and TV shows are being swept from release schedules, pushed back to a time when it is hoped actors will be able to promote them again, a newly surfaced video featuring Shazam! star Zachary Levi’s appearance at a fan event has shown just how fraught the whole situation is becoming.
Airing his frustrated views, Levi addressed the crowd, speaking out against the “dumb” rules that prevent him even talking about any of the movies and TV shows he has been a part of in any capacity, specifically citing Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Chuck and Tangled in a cryptic way. He said:
"I'm not allowed to talk about… This is so dumb. I'm not allowed to talk about 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."
Everyone is aware that the strike rules are not ideal, but that is pretty much the point. If the action did not cause mass-disruption, then it would not have the desired effect. However, it is clear to see that the frustration is been seen on both sides of the picket lines, and that will no doubt get worse the longer the strikes continue.
Stephen Amell Clarified His Recent Comments About the Strikes
Zachary Levi is certainly not the only person to speak out against the way strike actions have impacted many imminent projects that were completed prior to the vote action that led to the SAG-AFTRA joining the WGA on the picket lines. Arrow star Stephen Amell commented on the impact of the situation, and while he later returned to clarify his comments, he was clearly standing by his opinion that there was a lack of consideration given to imminent releases, and that the strike should perhaps not be a “black and white” situation. He said:
"We live in a time right now and I don't want to wax too poetic here. Where, you know, people want you to vote as long as you're voting for their candidate. And I can support my union, but there was an authorization vote for a reason," Amell said. "And listen, it was overwhelmingly in favor of striking. It was 98% and I think that there was a lot of people who frankly it was a vote, but I think that it was just kind of the complete that we were willing to authorize that. I just think that this has been done in a very black and white, all or nothing sort of way and I'm talking about shows and movies that were about to come out before the strike. I'm specifically talking about shows that, you know, I and a bunch of other people pour their heart and soul into that happened to be coming out within a certain window after the strike. I don't think that some of the consideration that was given to other projects leading up to the strike, and the delay of the strike was given to some other projects that came on the other side, and that's something that retrospectively, I should have done a better job of taking up in private with the leadership of my union people that I greatly respect and admire."