Yahoo News Zachary Levi jokes it's 'dumb' he can't talk past roles, but clarifies support for SAG-AFTRA strike
After being recorded at a fan convention joking about how it's "dumb" he can't talk about any of his past roles due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Zachary Levi is clarifying that he absolutely supports his union's decision to strike, but also stresses the importance of supporting fans as well.
"It's come to my attention that an offhand remark I made in jest last weekend is being taken out of context," Levi says in a statement obtained by EW on 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."
Robert Okine/Getty Images Zachary Levi
He continues, "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."
On Thursday, a TikTok video was posted of Levi speaking onstage at Manchester Comic-Con as he laughs while mentioned the SAG-AFTRA strike rules.
"This is so dumb, I'm not allowed to talk about any of my previous work," he says in the video, before referencing (although not by name) multiple past roles of his including the Shazam! movies, TV series Chuck, and animated musical Tangled.
"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 made that I'm a nerd who worked at a Best Buy kind of [store]. 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," he tells the crowd in the video.
The SAG-AFTRA strike for all performers on film and television has been ongoing since July, while Hollywood's writers have been on strike since May. Levi had previously shown his support for the strikes during an Instagram livestream days after it began. "What's at stake here is not just a bunch of privileged people trying to hold on to their privilege," he said. "[Studio executives] care about profits. It's always profits over people and not the other way around. So mark my words, if we don't do something drastic — right now, we are doing something drastic and we need to be doing this very drastic thing. We need to be striking."
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