Caleb McLaughlin is getting candid.
The 20-year-old actor, who plays Lucas on Netflix's smash hit "Stranger Things," opened up about the racism he's experienced since the show's inception in 2016.
"It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid. My very first Comic-Con, some people wouldn't stand in my line because I was Black," McLaughlin said at the Heroes Comic Con in Brussels Sept. 25. "Some people told me 'Oh, I didn't want to be in your line because you were mean to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).'"
McLaughlin said the lack of support is evident on social media, too -- all you have to do is check the numbers.
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"Why am I the least favorite?" McLaughlin questioned. "Why [do I have] the least amount of followers? I'm on the same show as everyone else from season one.'"
For the record, McLaughlin's 15.4 million Instagram followers, while impressive, trail behind Brown's 58.5 million and the 27.6 million and 26.3 million accumulated by "Stranger Things "co-stars Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard, respectively. Gaten Matarrazzo comes close to McLaughlin's follower count, but still boasts 18.7 million.
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McLaughlin said his parents have been a support system for him and, early on, pointed out the bigotry he would likely face.
"My parents had to be like, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the Black child on the show,'" McLaughlin said, "and I was like 'Wow, that's crazy.'"
Still, McLaughlin insisted that he doesn't let racists get in the way of the message he aims to promote.
"Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I'm not loved," he said. "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."
All four seasons of "Stranger Things" are available to stream on Netflix.
