“I felt scared and helpless after being bullied online”
“They said she’s a gold-digger and she’s dating me just because I’m on the show”
“I was by myself. As I walked faster, they walked faster, and I was getting a bit antsy”
You might not believe but these words belong to the “Stranger Things” cast members.
Yeah, these very kids that earn up to $350,000 for an episode and seem to live the life most
of us could only dream of.
As a matter of fact, Eleven and the crew face hard challenges and fight the evil not only
on screen but also in real life. Obviously, their main enemy is not terrifying Demogorgon
from the Upside Down, but… Fame?!
That’s right – we didn’t mess anything up. It turns out that some of the cast members
were followed by weird adult fans, and others were rudely slammed for their (quote) “inappropriate”
red carpet appearances. One of our beloved actors suffers from a rare genetic disease,
another cast member is deaf in one ear, and there’s also someone who was detained for
drug possession.
Do you still think the young stars of the Netflix hit show live a dream life? Well,
we bet they don’t. Keep watching the video to figure out which problems the “Stranger
Things” actors have and subscribe to Rumour Juice YouTube channel for other revealing
celebrity stories.
Millie Bobby Brown While Eleven is special due to her extrasensory
power, the actress herself also has a specific feature in real life which is hearing impairment.
Brown was born with a partial loss of hearing and then gradually entirely lost it in one
ear. Speaking on Studio10 in Australia back in 2017, Millie opened up about the difficulties
she’d been through while filming “Stranger Things".
Apart from acting, Millie is keen on singing, although sometimes she can’t hear her own
performances. Don’t you think her singing sounds just fine? That’s probably because
the actress does what she loves.
Brown’s hearing impairment could have easily ruined Millie’s dreams about acting and
singing, but luckily her parents were supportive enough to help their daughter to overcome
such an obstacle.
Brown is now a regular guest on talk shows, at press events, and on the red carpet of
some of the world's major award shows – most recently, January’s Screen Actors Guild
Awards in Los Angeles. The teenage star looked stunning in her white outfit, but many people
slammed Brown, her stylists and even parents, claiming that it was inappropriate for somebody
of her age to look so mature.
What a present to get right before your sixteenth birthday! One twitter user wrote referring
to her outfit at the awards: "Millie Bobby Brown is 15 years old. Everyone who is responsible
for this look needs to get fired". And another user said the following: "Millie Bobby Brown’s
stylist should sacked. She is just 15-years-old but looked at least 30 at the Sag awards last
night. So disturbing."
The teenager then revealed that her life has changed drastically since landing the role
of Eleven on the Netflix drama. On her milestone birthday, Brown posted an Instagram video
of her growing up and achieving fame. Alongside the video she shared her concerns about the
social media abuse.
“There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualisation,
and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me. But
not ever will I be defeated. I’ll continue doing what I love and spreading the message
in order to make change.”
Seems like the young actress is as brave as her screen character!
Gaten Matarazzo Let’s move on to the young man who is often
considered the cutest member of the Stranger Things cast. We can guess it happens partially
because of his hysterical toothless smile, but it’s not something the creators have
manufactured. In reality, the actor suffers from CCD – a disease that slows down bone
and teeth development. Even though it worked in favor of Gaten on the “Stranger Things”
set, he still had to undergo various surgeries in the meantime. There is no cure from CCD,
and the treatment consists of managing symptoms through dental care. Matarazzo has shared
some photos of his treatments on Instagram. The last one was marked by him as a “complete
success”, and we sincerely hope his condition will only get better.
Gaten also posts a lot of lovely pictures with one Lizzy Yu, whom he's been dating for
two years already. However, the fans were not okay with this teenage couple.
During one of Matarazzo’s Instagram Lives, the actor revealed that people were constantly
messaging Lizzy, asking why she was dating him. Some went as far as saying that she was
only dating the star because he was on “Stranger Things”. Besides, some of the fans messaged
Gaten in private, sharing their concern that Lizzy was a "gold-digger". Lizzy was even
accused of cheating on him with... His own brother, Carmen! This rumour came about after
nothing but a picture of Lizzy and Carmen together on a Ferris wheel.
"I’m like, when did you speak to her? They’re like, 'I haven't spoken to her'. I’m like,
well then, mind your own business because you don’t know her at all."
​We think he’s absolutely right. Finn Wolfhard
On the first episode of "Beyond Stranger Things," host Jim Rash shares several clips of actors
auditioning for the series. Finn Wolfhard's entire audition tape, recorded when he was
just 11 years old, was filmed from his bedroom because he was very sick. He didn’t expect
either to be casted, or that the show would become such a cult, but look how tables have
turned for the actor! Eventually he became a cult himself, and at some point it was much
more creepy for him than the image of Demogorgon.
For example, Finn was stalked by some adult fans when he was just 13 years old. He recalls
heading back to his room after a day on set when he realised he was being followed. He
said in an interview with Mastermind Magazine:
“Suddenly, they were like, “Hey, dude, can we get a selfie?” And I was like, “No
you can’t have a selfie! How about don’t follow children?”’
Well, amen to that.
Finn also has a band that used to arrange small performances every now and then but
the actor recently admitted he had to stop all the shows. It turned out that his friends
and other people who were attending the shows just to listen to the music were getting crushed
by the actor’s fans.
“They don’t understand what personal space is. When I’m taking a taxi, I’m often
followed by people who then mob me once I arrive.”
Unfortunately, Finn's hardships are nothing new for celebrities at all, but we're happy
the “Stranger Things” star is opening up about the dark side of the industry.
Charlie Heaton Charlie Heaton won our hearts in “Stranger
Things” and will play a mutant in the next “X-Men” movie. The actor is still a little
shocked that things have turned out like this.
“I had this crazy trajectory. I went from literally living in a hostel in L.A. at the
beginning of 2015 to shooting Stranger Things at the end of 2015.”
Obviously, he doesn’t live in a hostel anymore, but it doesn’t mean that newfound success
protects him from all the problems.
Do you know why Heaton missed the premiere of “Stranger Things 2” in October 2017?
Here’s why: the young celebrity was detained at Los Angeles International Airport due to
the possession of trace amounts of cocaine. He was not arrested but he had to immediately
return to London. More than a week later, he said in a statement that his planned travel
to the U.S. was affected by an issue at U.S. immigration and that he was not arrested or
charged with a crime. The drug story was eventually leaked, and Heaton reacted to it in a slightly
different way.
“When something steps in from the work you are doing and breaks into your personal life
you feel kind of vulnerable. All of a sudden it becomes a very big story and it gets really
blown out of proportion."
According to Charlie, after the news broke about the LAX situation, reporters arrived
not only at his home but also at his parents', which was a very hard and upsetting event
for the whole family.
Natalia Dyer It’s probably not surprising for you that
Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton are dating in real life. By the way, Natalia stood by
her boyfriend after he was suspected of carrying an illegal substance. When he was deported
to the UK, Natalia kept traveling to London to meet up with him. The scandal didn't affect
the relationship in a negative way – it only seemed to make them a stronger couple.
But what about Natalia herself?
The actress revealed she was quiet and studious when she was younger – a well-behaved child
whose health was frail. She would keep getting sick and be away from school for months due
to asthma. She would get pneumonia every year. And still, it didn’t stop her from pursuing
an acting career.
Dyer’s first acting gig was in “Disney's Hannah Montana”. Yeah, she had Miley Cyrus
as her co-star. And this is probably why Natalia’s face seemed familiar for a lot of people when
she appeared on “Stranger Things”.
Which conclusion can we make out of these stories? Maybe that fame, and especially fame
at a young age, is not something to be romanticized.
The kids of Hawkins definitely own our hearts, but besides posting cheerful videos in Instagram
or TikTok, singing songs in Carpool Karaoke and making people laugh while appearing at
popular talk shows, they work really hard. Also, we should remember that navigating adolescence
is nothing but a nightmare, and things don’t get any easier when millions of people literally
follow every step you make.
So let’s be thoughtful to them, and let’s appreciate their work and talents rather than
criticize their public appearances, personal life or posts in social media.