Stephen Amell needs to do a "better job" of speaking more cautiously in public

He reflected to Variety: "Not everything that comes to my mind should be spoken into a microphone.

"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.

"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."

The 43-year-old actor - who has daughter Mavi, 11, and two-year-old son Bowen with wife Cassandra Jean - felt "the world was ending" amid the backlash he experienced.

He said: "It felt like the world was ending. 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."

Stephen "absolutely worried" his comments would damage his career until he was cast as the lead in 'Suits LA' and he's vowed to be more aware of the responsibility he holds in the future.

He said: "I'm part of a team, and there are a lot of people counting on me. I could stand to be more thoughtful."

Last summer, the former 'Arrow' actor shot 'Little Lorraine' with Sean Astin, who is a member of the SAG-AFTRA national board, and while he assumed he was "public enemy number one" within the union, his co-star surprised him by urging him to consider joining the board.

The discussion made him realise that "as opposed to criticising from the sidelines," he could be "more effective and helpful" in other ways.