The Arrowverse community has been pretty busy with charity appeals recently, including executive producer Marc Guggenheim running an auction to win a trip to the set of one of the DC series. Stephen Amell, who recently ended his long run as Oliver Queen on Arrow, frequently engages with his fans, too, but has gone one further now with his latest social media posts. And that’s because the actor has revealed his phone number with fans, encouraging them to text him directly.
Hi everyone. You can text me and I will be responding to people personally. Now… I'm just learning to use this platform, so, by all means, THINK THAT I'M KIDDING!!!
My number is 310.388.9714 —
(I dare you.)
— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) April 25, 2020
While this might seem a bold move, it’s worth noting that Amell is at least managing his text messaging through the Community platform, wherein people have to register in order to contact the actor. However, once in, it does appear that fans can communicate directly with Amell, who most recently saw his sci-fi movie Code 8 make a big impact on Netflix.
Since the details were shared, fans have been adding their reactions and the video Amell has posted confirming it’s him behind the move, and not a hack.
GUYS ITS REAL pic.twitter.com/BJthuHjS9X
— YODA (@SniperArdoenix) April 25, 2020
— Matthew Woolbright (@MatthewWoolbrig) April 25, 2020
Some responders were a bit more cynical, though, pointing out that running messages through Community means that the app can collect fan data, making it more of a marketing campaign than a simple one-to-one with the star:
Seems redundant if we're already interacting with you on Twitter. Your personal message could just as easily be posted here instead of collecting all of our phone numbers for marketing purposes etc. #lame
— John Donboli (@jdonboli) April 25, 2020
It's not his REAL LEGIT phone number. It's a service. Celebs been doing this. But it's managed by a company but it just "feels" more intimate than say tweeting at him. It's all manipulation. Makes him seem more "accessible" more "down to earth" & "real". Don't believe the hype.
— Bobbii (@BobbiiDigital) April 26, 2020
Although there are some marketing motivations behind it, we don’t begrudge Amell for giving fans another way to stay in touch with him. Since leaving Arrow, the actor has been candid about some of the problems with season 8, as well as his favorite crossover star, and recently shared an emotional behind-the-scenes look at his final Arrow scene. In terms of his next projects, Amell’s working on wrestling series Heels, and might be doing more with the world created in Code 8.
Will you be signing up for a chance to talk to Stephen Amell, though, or at least in a way that’s a bit more direct than Twitter? And if so, what kind of questions would you have for the actor? As ever, let us know in the comments section down below.
