"Stranger Things" star Caleb McLaughlin is opening up about the racism he faced when the series first premiered, saying that it took a toll on him "as a younger kid."
The 20-year-old actor shared his experiences at the Heroes Comic Con Belgium convention. Speaking to the audience, he said some fans of the show would treat him differently. They tried to justify their behavior by saying it was because they did not like how McLaughlin's character, Lucas Sinclair, treated Millie Bobby Brown's character, Eleven. But McLaughlin knew it was deeper than that.
"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,'" he said, according to the New York Post.
McLaughlin was just 14 when he first appeared in the show. His first Comic Con took place around the time that Season 1 aired on Netflix in 2016, but even today the actor said he still faces racism.
"Even now, some people don't follow me or don't support me because I'm Black," McLaughlin continued. "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."
He admitted there were times when he'd question why he was the least favorite character. Why he had the least amount of followers on social media. His parents had to explain that it was linked to his skin color.
"My parents had to be like, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the Black child on the show,'" McLaughlin continued. "Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I'm not loved."
Despite facing racism from fans of the show, McLaughlin said he refuses to let it stop him from spreading "positivity and love."
"I do not give hate back to people who give hate to me," McLaughlin shared.