It’s definitely OK to dislike a character in a TV show or movie, but it’s not OK to blame the actor or actress. It’s always important to remember that the star behind a fictional person has their own beliefs, opinions and personality. Take Grace Saif, for example. She portrays Ani Achola in Season 3 of 13 Reasons Why, and ever since it premiered on Netflix on August 23, she’s received a ton of backlash over her character.
Things have gotten so bad that she was even forced to delete all of her social media accounts. And her castmates are definitely not happy with the way she’s been treated.
“Hey y’all, just a reminder. Whether or not you support, like, or love a character in our fictional tv show —please remember that there is a talented and beautiful actor/actress bringing those scripted words to life,” Timothy Granaderos, who plays Montgomery De La Cruz in the show, wrote on Instagram. “One of the underlining themes in our show is to take care of each other. I’ve seen some pretty nasty things being said online, concerning the introduction of a new character. Y’all are passionate and we love you for that, but PLEASE, PLEASE try to be kind and respect the work of the talented actress/actor behind the character. Love y’all and keep taking care of each other.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Alisha Boe, who stars as Jessica Davis, posted Timothy’s message to her own Instagram, adding, “Gentle reminder that we are actors playing fictional characters. We’re a family.” Devin Druid (he plays Tyler Down in the show) also shared the post to his Instagram stories. And Anne Winters, who stars as Chloe in the Netflix series, spoke out about it during an interview with People Magazine.
“I think her role was very important this season, because, you know, you need someone that has the other side of Bryce,” she explained. “And we wouldn’t have really gotten to see that unless there was some sort of new character that was living with him. That had to be… that’s vital to the story to see. And Ani is amazing, Grace who plays Ani is like the sweetest girl ever. I really loved her character this season.”
As fans know, Ani is a new student at Liberty High School this year, but her close relationship with Bryce has a bunch of people suspicious of her. Her mom works for Bryce’s family and they live inside his guest house, so she spends a lot of time with him.
Let’s definitely keep Timothy’s advice in mind from now on!
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