Stranger Things star opens up about racism of show
Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin said he addressed the racism of fans of the show.
The 20-year-old, who plays Lucas Sinclair, was asked how he approached the role of one of the few black cast members in the hit Netflix movie. He said that some fans treatment of him “put a strain on him.”
“My first Comic-Con, some people didn’t take sides because I was black,” he told fans at a convention in Belgium.
Caleb, who joined Stranger Things at age 14, is one of the original five main characters along with co-stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, and Millie Bobby Brown. The other actors have more Instagram followers than Caleb something he discussed with fans while appearing on stage at Heroes Comic Con in Brussels.
In a video shared by a candidate on Twitter, he said he asked his parents why he was “the least popular” when he was “on the same show as everyone else”. “My parents must have said, ‘It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the black kid on the show.’
“Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I’m not loved.”
Stranger Things star opens up about racism of show
He said people shunned him when they first met him, telling him it was “because you were mean to Eleven”, referring to Lucas’ hostility towards Millie Bobby Brown’s character in the first season.
“Even now some people don’t follow me or support me because I’m black,” he told his fans in Belgium. “Sometimes you feel racism abroad, you feel bigotry.
“Sometimes it’s hard to talk about it and for people to understand it, but when I was younger it definitely influenced me a lot.”
Despite being a worldwide hit, Stranger Things has drawn criticism for its lack of casting diversity and accusations of sidelining its black characters.
