Brandon Flynn Defends 13 Reasons Why Suicide Scene

Though 13 Reasons Why has been a huge hit for Netflix and it has gained some super devoted fans since its release on March 31, some critiqued the show claiming that it "glamorized" serious topics like suicide. Brandon Flynn, who plays Justin Foley, spoke about an article from the New York Times which mentioned glorifying suicide and said he does not think the show did so when depicting Hannah Baker's final scene in which she takes her own life.

“Television is meant for entertainment, but I don’t think suicide is glorified. I’m not sure what they see in someone cutting their wrists as glorification,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Suicide is a taboo subject, especially suicide among youth. Everyone thinks that their kid lives these quaint and normal lives in school. What I hope people come to realize is that the show is much more than just that one scene.”

“[Hannah's suicide] scene is so graphic, but what the show deals with leads up to that scene — which is really important to talk about. It’s the behavior among boys and girls at a young age that still exists in adults…If that scene is too graphic for people, that might be good because people are going to talk about it.”

Kate Walsh, who plays Hannah's mom in the show, spoke about the importance of the show and how they intended for it to make viewers feel uncomfortable during an AOL Build.

“It was very important for everyone involved to take this very seriously and very accurately. (Creator) Brian Yorkey was adamant there was nothing romantic or nothing Goth or sexy about this suicide. We all knew that when we finally got to that scene, there wasn’t going to be anything beautiful about it. It’s supposed to make you uncomfortable,” she said.

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WOWBrandon Flynn From ’13 Reasons Why’ Defends The Show Against Critics