The latest season of the controversial Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, has prompted some new controversy — and it has to do with the show’s fans.
British actress Grace Saif, who plays the polarizing new character, Ani, has deleted all of her social media. This appears to come after the actress was barraged with messages of hate due to her character.
Her character is a new student at Liberty High School and the narrator of the third season, having a connection to villain Bryce (Justin Prentice) and becoming vital to the storyline.
Reps for Saif and Netflix did not immediately respond to Shadow And Act’s request for comment.
While the direct reason for Saif deactivating her accounts has not been stated, co-star Timothy Granderos seemingly confirmed the reason in a post defending the actress.
In a photo including Saif, he posted on Instagram, “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. 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 & 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 & keep taking care of each other ❤️”
Co-star Anne Winters also defended both the character and actress, saying in a recent interview: “…Ani is amazing, Grace who plays Ani is like the sweetest girl ever. I really loved her character this season.”
Fans on social media have also come to Saif’s defense:
I wasn’t really rocking w Ani in #13ReasonsWhy but I find it cruel how y’all bullied this woman until she deleted all her accounts! It’s just a show guys. Hell yeah her character was annoying but y’all forget that this shit isn’t real @gracesaif I hope you’re doing fine ❤️
— kween bee (@Urafukboi1) September 2, 2019
@gracesaif does NOT deserve hate. She played a character. If you don’t like the character then yeah that’s in opinion but it doesn’t mean you go shitting on the actress.
— ♥️ (@djangxjane) August 26, 2019
Grace Saif deleted her IG after fans bullied her. Please remember these actors are playing characters https://t.co/Am66zVM3wZ
— Brianne (@__SHES_STRIVING) August 30, 2019
This is just the latest situation that involves fans of a show sending messages of hate to stars. Titans actress Anna Diop had to field negative fan response from trolls even before the series premiered and ended up deactivating her comments for some time.
READ MORE:
Over Two Years After Its Debut, Netflix Removes Controversial, Graphic Scene From ’13 Reasons Why’
Photo: Netflix
