Actor Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair in “Stranger Things,” has revealed that he has suffered a lot of prejudice and racism from fans of the series. The revelation was made during his participation in the Heroes Comic Con convention, in Belgium, last Sunday (25/9).
“He definitely hit me as a kid,” he said. “At my first Comic-Con, some people weren’t online [de autógrafos] because I was black. Some people said to me, ‘Oh, I didn’t want to be in your queue because you were mean to Eleven [Millie Bobby Brown]'”
McLaughlin said that kind of public sentiment continues today. “Even now some people don’t follow me or support me because I’m black. Sometimes abroad you feel racism, you feel bigotry. Sometimes it’s hard to talk and people understand, but when I was younger it definitely hit me a lot.”
The actor made his debut in the series when he was just 14 and revealed that, at the time, he couldn’t understand this feeling from the audience. “Why am I the least favorite? Why do I have the least number of followers?” He wondered. “I’ve been on the same show as everyone since season 1.”
“My parents had to tell me, ‘It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the black guy on the show.’ Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I’m not loved,” he added. “But that’s why with my platform I want to spread positivity and love, because I don’t return hate to people who hate me”.
McLaughlin, unfortunately, is not alone. In recent years, racist prejudice and attacks have become increasingly common. Recently, actress Halle Bailey (“Grown-ish”) was the subject of a wave of hatred due to the release of the trailer for “The Little Mermaid”, in which she plays the lead character Ariel. There have also been several other cases of racism made explicit in recent weeks by so-called “fans” of the series “House of the Dragon”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi”.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
