Stephen Amell Tests Positive For COVID-19, Struggles With Fear

ByAllie Johnson
Stephen Amell Instagram

Arrow star Stephen Amell tested positive for COVID-19 this month and it left him feeling helpless. According to the actor, contracting coronavirus left him feeling awful both physically and mentally. Having to pause production of his new show called Heels only seemed to make him feel worse.

Stephen Amell admits actors feel a lot of pressure not to get sick.

Those who follow TV news know actors and actresses are constantly tested for the virus. During the production of a movie or TV series, this is necessary to keep everyone on set safe and healthy. But, it comes at a pretty emotional price. Speaking on the Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Stephen reveals there is a significant amount of pressure on those in Hollywood to not get the virus. So, after he tested positive for the virus, this mental fear started to fester.

Stephen Amell admitted he wasn’t really sure how he contracted the virus. Why? Because he believed he was “really good about” always wearing a face mask. And, he practiced social distancing. So, getting the virus anyway was a bit of a slap to the face.

I’ve never worried about the lethal aspect of it because the numbers suggest that I will get it, and maybe I’ll be asymptomatic or maybe my symptoms will be light, and I will come out the other side and I will be OK, which is what happened. My anxiety came from the idea that I would be letting hundreds of people down. Right… I didn’t have anxiety about the fact that I would give it to other people, which again I possibly did, which is unsettling in and of itself.”

He continued: “But, you have to understand that because of this anxiety, I have actively, actively, actively tried to avoid contracting this virus. And guess what? I f****** got it anyway. So be smart.”

The pressure after getting the virus continued to grow because he knew he would have to stop working. And, he knew it would put the production on pause. And, this made him feel like he was letting a lot of people down.

His fans know he has a history of anxiety.

Stephen Amell has a history of anxiety. He has opened up about it before. Back in January, he had a panic attack while he was appearing on the Rosenbaum’s show. According to Yahoo News, the podcast interview was cut short. Stephen did come back to the show sometime later. He was in a much more tranquil place emotionally.

The actor had tested negative for the virus several dozen times before testing positive. After a positive test result happened, he was quarantined for three weeks. Then, he needed a negative test result to return to work.

If this wasn’t called COVID-19, I wouldn’t have missed a day of work. I would have felt sh**y on a couple of the days, but I … would not have missed a day of work…. I have gone to work feeling worse than, than I did … but then … all you’re dealing with is … a flu where you’re feeling really run down or you’re, you’re injured from a stunt or something.”

Stephen Amell also admitted his first few days with the virus were not easy on him.

Allie Johnson
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