Caleb McLaughlin, better known as Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series Stranger Things, opened up about alleged racism from fans, according to The Hollywood Reporter. McLaughlin talks about his first Comic-Con experience in Belgium.
“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 but because you were mean to Eleven,’” McLaughlin said, via The Hollywood Reporter.
McLaughlin, 20, explained it still sometimes happens. He talked about that he would question himself why he was the “least favorite” and having “the least amount of followers” on social media. According to Deadline, McLaughlin’s parents said, “It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the Black child on the show”. McLaughlin added, “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. Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I’m not loved, 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.”
Stranger Things is a science fiction horror drama television series on Netflix created by the Duffer Brothers (Wayward Pines), who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy (Last Man Standing) and Dan Cohen (The Darkest Minds). The series takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s. The series focus is on mysteries and the supernatural things that happen in Hawkins and its effects on the ensemble cast of children and adults.
The series stars Winona Ryder (Turks & Caicos), David Harbour (Suicide Squad), Finn Wolfhard (Dog Days), Millie Bobby Brown (Intruders), Gaten Matarazzo (Honor Society), Caleb McLaughlin (High Flying Bird), Natalia Dyer (Mountain Rest), Charlie Heaton (As You Are), Cara Buono (Supergirl), Matthew Modine (Foster Boy), Noah Schnapp (We Only Know So Much), Sadie Sink (American Odyessy), Joe Keery (After Everything), Dacre Montgomery (Elvis), Sean Astin (Hercules), Paul Reiser (Women vs. Men), Maya Hawke (The Last Movie Stars), Priah Ferguson (The Oath), and Brett Gelman (Camping).