Zachary Levi, of anti-vaxx, Evangelical douche fame, appeared at Comic Con Manchester in the UK on July 29. That was a full two weeks into the SAG-AFTRA strike, and while he was there he called the strike regulations “so dumb.” Unlike scab Stephen Amell, Zachary wasn’t promoting a new project. Like Stephen Amell, Zachary is now claiming that his comments were taken out of context. This past Friday he released a statement to put them “in context” for us:
Zachary Levi is clarifying his viral comments about the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The Shazam! star’s jokes from a fan event went viral after he called the guild’s restrictions on promoting studio content “so dumb.”
“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.”
Levi added: “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.”
Appearing at what appeared to be Manchester Comic-Con—which took place in the U.K. late last month—Levi talked about how he couldn’t discuss his work on projects like Chuck, Tangled and the two Shazam! Films.
“I’m not allowed to talk about… this is so dumb. I’m not allowed to talk about any of my previous work,” Levi says in the clip. “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.”
[From Yahoo! Entertainment]
You know what I think is dumb? Showing up to a union-restricted event during a strike where you know you won’t be able to talk about anything! And then his trying to pin his actions on the fans is just lame. The more he digs into saying it’s all for the fans, though, the more it seems he fundamentally doesn’t understand the purpose of a strike. “Our business exists and succeeds because of the fans, and I think it’s imperative we appreciate them for their support of our careers.” Yes, that is true. But that’s why boycotting events, including those driven and beloved by fans, puts pressure on AMPTP. It’s all part of the disruption cycle of a strike. Isn’t this like Strike 101? And while we’re at it, let’s reeducate Zachary on something else: no, he is not the best Disney prince ever.
Photos credit: Backgrid and Avalon.red
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