Arrow alum Stephen Amell is due back on screens later this month to lead a splashy Suits spinoff series. But not too long ago, he wasn’t sure he’d even be welcomed back into the Hollywood fold.

The Suits LA star accidentally made waves in July 2023 by condemning SAG-AFTRA’s decision to strike against the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP), when negotiations failed to produce a contract amenable to both parties. “I do not support striking,” Amell said at the time, calling the practice “reductive” and “myopic.”

Afterward, Amell was “absolutely worried” about how the fallout of those controversial comments would affect his career, he recently told Variety. In the immediate aftermath, he felt he had become “public enemy No. 1,” he said.

“It felt like the world was ending,” he said. “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.”

Indeed, the backlash was swift, prompting Amell to walk back his comments and eventually take to the picket lines to prove his support for the union. 

“Not everything that comes to my mind should be spoken into a microphone,” he continued. “I still think that striking is the nuclear option — that was the point that I was trying to make. I just think I need to be a little bit more patient.”

He added, “I don’t subscribe to the whole idea of ‘You’re an actor — stay in your lane.’ But I think that I need to do a better job of really thinking about what I say publicly and the potential impact that it could have.”

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In addition to joining the picket lines, Amell shares that he got in contact with SAG-AFTRA leadership at the time.

The strike eventually came to an end, after 118 days, the longest work stoppage in SAG-AFTRA history, winning seismic protections for union members. The following summer, Amell filmed the J Balvin-starring drama Little Lorraine with Sean Astin, a member of the union’s national board. He was surprised when the Lord of the Rings alum told him to consider joining the board himself. To Amell, it was a sign that rather than “criticizing from the sidelines,” he ought to get involved to be “more effective and helpful.”

Now, with his new role in Suits LA on the mind, Amell indicated that he intends to be much more considerate about what he says publicly — not just for his own sake, but for those he works alongside. 

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

Amell stars as the lead of the spinoff series, playing former New York lawyer Ted Black, as he relocated to Los Angeles to launch a new firm specializing in criminal and entertainment law. While he looks to succeed at work, secrets from his past threaten to resurface.

Suits LA is set to premiere on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.