Actor Caleb McLaughlin recently spoke about how much racism he faces in Hollywood as a black actor. The star who plays Lucas on “Stranger Things” revealed that he has dealt with discrimination from fans of the show since its first season.
McLaughlin began his acting career on Broadway as Young Simba for the musical “The Lion King”. After several other roles, he got a place in the main cast of “Stranger Things”. The role was the perfect big break for McLaughlin’s acting career.
The star recently appeared at “Heroes Comic Con” 2022 and talked about his experience, saying he once wondered why he was the least liked by the show’s main cast. McLaughlin is one of many black actors who have addressed racism in the industry.
Read on to learn more.
Caleb McLaughlin Recalls Sad Racial Experience
Instagram/Caleb McLaughlin
McLaughlin opened up about his experience with racism during an appearance in Brussels for “Heroes Comic Con” on September 25. During an interview, he revealed that it affected him a lot as a boy. “It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid,” he said.
The topic also brought back sad memories, as the star recalled her battle with racism at her first Comic-Con. He stated that other children shunned him because of the color of his skin. He said, “My first Comic-Con, some people wouldn’t stand in my line because I was Black.”
here’s caleb talking about how he had to deal with racism just because he was “a black kid who was mean to eleven in season 1” and felt it was important to share his thoughts on that 🙂 #StrangerThings #TUDUM #CalebMcLaughlin @HComicConBE pic.twitter.com/JZoXS9aaBW
— L ☾ meets timothée (@spideychaIamet) September 25, 2022
Although some kids use her role on the show as an excuse for their racism, she doesn’t believe them. “Some people tell me ‘Oh, I don’t want to be in your line because you’re mean to Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown).'” McLaughlin also revealed that she still struggles with discrimination as an adult.
He said, “Even now people don’t follow me or support me because I’m black.” McLaughlin also shared that she is still traumatized from dealing with racial issues as a child actor. He also insisted that he got at least some support from the fans of the show.
‘Why Am I the Least Favorite?’
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The now 20-year-old, who started the show aged 14, revealed that her younger self wondered why she was the “least favourite” of the main cast. She also noticed at the time that she had the fewest number of Instagram followers after being on the show of all the other kids.
McLaughlin asked, “Why am I the least favorite, the least followed? I’m on the same show as everyone else from the first season.” The star currently has over 15 million followers, behind the other children, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, and Gaten Matarazzo, who have 58.5 million, 27.6 million, 26.3 million, and 18.7 million followers, respectively.
Although he dealt with racism in Hollywood from time to time, his parents supported him throughout his career. He also revealed that they initially warned him about discrimination when he started filming the show’s first season.
Caleb McLaughlin’s parents tell him ‘The sad truth’
Instagram/Caleb McLaughlin
After telling her parents about discrimination by fans of the show, it shocked her when they explained that it was racism. “My parents must have been like, “it’s the sad truth, but it’s because you’re a black kid on the show,'” McLaughlin said. “And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.'”
He then decided to block out the negativity and focus on his career. However, the actress still wonders why her skin color matters to fans. “Because I was born with this beautiful brown skin, I was not loved,” he said.
The star plans to continue spreading love and positivity “with my platform” despite racism and discrimination. McLaughlin said, “I don’t return hate to people who give me hate.”
Black Actors Are Subjected To Racist Fans Lately
McLaughlin is not the only actor affected by racism in Hollywood. Several other black actors have recently been the victims of racist comments from fans after announcing their new roles. The first trailer for the live-action movie “The Little Mermaid” quickly went viral after its release.
However, it received racist backlash for starring “the little black mermaid.” The trailer, which revealed singer Halle Bailey as Ariel, also garnered more than 1.5 million dislikes on YouTube. Following that, fans took to the comments section to express their racism and comment on what they “loved” about the teaser.
Instagram/gameofthrones
Actor Steve Toussaint was also the victim of racist comments after “House Of The Dragon” starred him as The Sea Snake, Lord Corlys Velaryon. In a recent interview with Men’s health, he called out the racist audience, saying, “They’re happy with a flying dragon. They are happy with white hair and purple eyes, but rich Black men? That is beyond the pale.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
