'Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin calls out fandom's bigotry and racism

Stranger Things is a major Netflix hit, and its cast members have become huge as a result.

For one, Millie Bobbie Brown's (who plays Eleven) success landed her a feature on the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people in 2018.

There's also Noah Schnapp (who plays Will Byers), who has gone viral for moments such as admitting to talking to Love Island's Ekin-Su on a video call and his interaction with Doja Cat.

However, not every Stranger Things child actor experienced the full scope of the fan's love and dedication, including Caleb McLaughlin (who plays Lucas Sinclair).

He recently opened up about his experience with bigotry and racism as a child in the public eye.

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On Sunday (25 September), McLaughlin, now 20 years old, appeared at Heroes Comic Con in Brussels and spoke on feeling like he was being treated differently than his white co-stars and the "toll" it had on him as a kid.

"My very first Comic-Con, some people wouldn't stand in my line because I was Black," McLaughlin said at the event.

A video of his appearance was shared on Twitter by an audience member.

"Some people told me, 'Oh, I didn't want to be in your line because you were mean to Eleven,'" he continued before mentioning how people still don't support him because he's Black.

McLaughlin also said he feels the "bigotry" and "racism" when he's overseas as well.

"It's hard to talk about and for people to understand, but when I was younger, it definitely affected me a lot," he said before he shared how he has been on the show with the cast from the beginning.

"You see, you're like, 'What? Like, this is a deep conversation right now — why am I the least favorite? Why [do I have] the least amount of followers? I'm on the same show as everyone else from season 1," McLaughlin said.

He then spoke about a conversation with his parents, who told him that this was happening because he's "the Black child on the show."

"I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy,'" McLaughlin recalled.

But not letting the negative get the worst of him, he chooses "positivity and love."

"But that's why with my platform I want to spread positivity and love because I do not give hate back to people that give hate to me," he told the audience.

Seasons 1-4 of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix.

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