Remember That Time When Grant Gustin Was Called a Racist for Not Defending His ‘The Flash’ Co-Star from Bigotry

‘The Flash’ which ran for 9 seasons was one of the most successful ‘Arrowverse’ shows and according to many fans, it had the most charming cast. Grant Gustin is still one of the most notable actors to portray the Scarlet Speedster and Candice Patton’s portrayal of Iris West is still considered extraordinary among the fans.

However, despite the charming cast, the show wasn’t without its controversies. If you are an avid reader of ‘The Flash’ you are likely aware that Iris West is actually white in the comics. This is something that was changed for the show and it caused quite the backlash among certain fans.

Raceswapping is nothing new in the last few years, there are attempts among major studios to include more diverse casts in their projects and quite frankly, it’s not only superhero media that’s affected. Some instances of race swapping are mostly ignored as was the case with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and some are viciously attacked as was the case with Patton’s Iris West.

The actress spoke openly about the abuse she received. Patton revealed that during the second season of the series, the intense backlash she faced due to her skin color made her contemplate quitting the show.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen and the incidents stopped (or at least she didn’t comment on them as often). This isn’t where the issue stopped however as Grant Gustin was pulled into the mess as well as it all started with the fact that he advocated for LGBT rights.

In 2019, Grant Gustin posted on Instagram supporting the LGBTQ+ community (it’s been long deleted by now) and encouraging donations to Tie the Knot and the ACLU. However, many fans were upset that while he supported one cause, he did not address the racism his on-screen love interest was facing.

He was openly called racist on his social media. Something similar happened to Tom Holland recently when he failed to defend his ‘Romeo & Juliet’ co-star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers from online attacks.

In any case, Gustin was disturbed by the accusations enough that he decided to address them openly:

As far as defending any of my costars, I absolutely will when I see it on my page. I don’t go looking for trolls or hate about me or any of my friends or coworkers. When I see someone say something racially insensitive, straight-up racist, just trolling or being a bully, I block them without hesitation. That’s the most amount of energy I’m willing to waste on an internet troll.

Source

You might argue that Gustin is completely correct when it comes to his approach to online bullies and trolls. Those types of fans love nothing more than to get a reaction – as it proves their tactics are effective. Maybe ignoring them is the best course of action, however, that might leave you in a different type of mess, as inaction is sometimes worse than the wrong kind of reaction.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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