As Stranger Things grows more popular every day, so too does the popularity of its young stars. The price of fame, which includes a ravenous fan base. is beginning to weigh on 14-year-old actor Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler. The teen tweeted out a message on Wednesday requesting that fans please stop harassing his friends and co-workers.
"Hey everybody! I don't wanna ex-communicate anyone from this fandom, but if you are for real you will not harass my friends, or co-workers. Ya'll know who you are," Wolfhard wrote, taking advantage of Twitter's new 280-character feature. "Why I even have to tweet that, I don't know," he added in a follow-up tweet. "Anyone who calls themselves a 'fan' and actively goes after someone for literally acting and doing their job is ridiculous."
Hey everybody! I don't wanna ex-communicate anyone from this fandom, but if you are for real you will not harass my friends, or co-workers. Ya'll know who you are.
— Finn Wolfhard (@FinnSkata) November 8, 2017
Why I even have to tweet that, I don't know. Anyone who calls themselves a "fan" and actively goes after someone for literally acting and doing their job is ridiculous. Think b4 ya type boiiii
— Finn Wolfhard (@FinnSkata) November 8, 2017
Wolfhard did not specifically refer to himself, but fans read between the lines. Last week, former Stranger Things actor Shannon Purser, who played Barb, spoke out in support of Wolfhard, who was facing criticism for not stopping to say hello to a fan as he returned to his hotel.
"No actor is under any obligation to stop for anyone," Purser wrote on Twitter, in response to a now-deleted video and tweet calling Wolfhard "heartless" for walking away from a fan waiting for him outside his hotel. "Finn is an incredibly kind human. But he's human and he needs breaks too."
Wolfhard's co-star Noah Schnapp (Will) retweeted Purser's message, adding "we all work so hard, and need a break sometimes." Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner also came to Wolfhard's defense, slamming the fan in question. "What adult in their right mind waits for a CHILD outside their hotel and B is then offended when the CHILD doesn't stop," she wrote on Twitter.
That's not the only kind of harassment Wolfhard and his co-stars faced. Ali Michael, a 27-year-old model, came under fire for sharing an Instagram photo of the young star. "Hit me up in 4 years @finnwolfhardofficial," she wrote. The post was deleted. "That was weird, that was gross," Wolfhard told TMZ Sunday.
Last month, Wolfhard cut ties with APA talent agency following sexual assault allegations against his former agent, Tyler Grasham. Actor Blaise Godbe Lipman also accused Grasham of sexually assaulting him in 2007, when Grasham was a teen. Several more men came forward with similar allegations. Grasham, who represented mostly child stars, is currently being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Mistreatment, harassment and abuse of child stars has been making headlines in recent weeks.Goonies actor Corey Feldman claimed an alleged pedophile ring exists in Hollywood. The LAPD dropped the claim on Thursday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anna is a Newsweek culture writer based in New York City. Previously she was a Film/TV writer at Elite Daily and an ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
