The Boys is a pretty wild “superhero” show on Amazon Prime Video. I don’t even know how to characterize it — as a satire? A send-up? A dystopian alternate reality? Anyway, 28-year-old actress Erin Moriarty plays Annie, aka Starlight. She’s one of the good guys on the show and pushes back against the misogyny of the establishment and her fellow “supes.” Her character is objectified and sexualized from the beginning, with a proposition from a teammate and the order to switch her uniform from a modest twirly skirt to a leotard. And it continues throughout the series. But despite these messages against misogyny, a subset of so-called fans have been trolling Erin with objectifying comments and constantly commenting on her body.
The Boys star Erin Moriarty is addressing the social media trolls.
The 28-year-old actress, who plays Starlight on the Prime Video superhero series, opened up about the hate she receives from trolls directed at her character and, by extension, herself.
“I do feel silenced. I do feel dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed,” Erin wrote on Instagram while also re-posting the Medium article titled “#IStandWithStarlight?: The Betrayal of Erin Moriarty by The Boys ‘fans,’” written by a Boys enthusiast with the username Butcherscanary.
“I’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into this role (over & over & over again), I’ve grown UP in this character’s shoes (*emphasis on grown up – we change & evolve mentally AND physically),” Erin continued. “So with that I say: a) thank you to @butcherscanary b) this does break my heart – I’ve opened up a vein for this role and misogynistic trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against and c) everyone’s going through their own battle(s); let’s not add to that.”
She continued, “I will never intentionally (and ESPECIALLY) publicly add to yours. This has only strengthened my empathy muscle and to anyone who comes at me: I see you, I don’t hate you, I only empathize and forgive.”
After sharing the post, several of Erin‘s The Boys co-stars took to the comments to share their support.
“Support you and what you say here 100%. Well put 😉 Your work on the show is and always has been stellar and you are beautiful inside and out. Keep shining,” Antony Starr wrote, who plays Homelander.
“Love you Erin. We’re all here for you. You’re such an incredible, talented force of nature and I consider myself incredibly lucky to know you. Keep shining bright. Leave the trolls to us. We got your back,” wrote Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie Campbell.
Erin reposted an essay that a fan account posted on Medium. The essay talks about the hypocrisy of fans of the show talking about Erin in this way after watching what Annie/Starlight goes through and reiterates that Annie and Erin are not one and the same: Annie is a character and Erin is not; she is a real person with feelings that can actually read the comments people are leaving on her posts. Even in comments on articles about Erin saying she feels dehumanized and heartbroken, viewers are dismissing her feelings. And yet she extends so much empathy to the people treating her terribly, noting that everyone’s going through their own battles and she doesn’t want to add to that. She says it much more nicely than I would have. I would have said these people are clearly being nasty to her because they’re miserable in their own lives and it makes them feel better to be hurtful toward someone else and they think they can do it without consequences. Most of Erin’s co-stars commented on her post expressing support and the showrunner denounced the toxic fans. They’re filming season 4 of The Boys now. Hopefully the trolls stop.
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