Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin Opens Up About Racism From Fans
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The success of Netflix's Stranger Things was life-changing for Caleb McLaughlin, who stars as Lucas Sinclair on the hit sci-fi series. While he received notoriety for his standout role, Caleb recently revealed that he experienced racism from fans of the show IRL. On Sunday, September 25, the 20-year-old opened up about his journey as one of the few people of color on the series during the Heroes Comic Con in Brussels.
Twitter user Spidey Chalamet uploaded a video of Caleb's chat, where he recalled the racism he encountered. "It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid," he began. "My very first Comic-Con, some people didn't stand in my line because I was Black. Some people told me, 'Oh, I didn't want to be in your line because you were mean to Eleven.' Even now, some people don't follow me or don't support me because I'm Black," Caleb added.
He later discussed how the racism he's experienced from fans changes when he's traveling internationally. "Sometimes overseas, you feel the racism, you feel the bigotry. Sometimes it's hard to talk about and for people to understand, but when I was younger, it definitely affected me a lot."
Caleb, who first appeared on Stranger Things when he was 14, shared the thoughts he experienced back then. "Why am I the least favorite? The least amount of followers? I'm on the same show as everybody from season one," he said. "My parents had to be like, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the Black child on the show... Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I'm not loved."
The negativity he experienced from trolls has inspired him to uplift others. "But that's why with my platform, I want to spread positivity and love because I do not give hate back to people who give hate to me."
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