"You've put me in the ocean alone around sharks": 'The Flash' actor reveals battle with racist fans
'The Flash' actor Candice Patton opens up about her struggles with racist fans, lack of protection from The CW and Warner Bros, and her nearly quitting the show.
Updated : October 20, 2023 05:25 PM IST'The Flash' actor Candice Patton opens up about her struggles with racist fans, lack of protection from The CW and Warner Bros, and her nearly quitting the show.
Candice Patton, a central figure in 'The Flash', has revealed a tumultuous past tainted by racist fans and a lack of institutional support. Patton's revelations were made on “The Open Up Podcast” as reported by Variety.
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When Patton first stepped into the shoes of Iris West, she was met with a barrage of online harassment. Sadly, she was left to fend for herself, as neither The CW nor Warner Bros had any measures in place to protect her from such toxic onslaught.
“We know better now," Patton emphasized, “For me in 2014, there were no support systems. No one was looking out for that. It was free range to get abused every single day. There were no social media protocols in place to protect me, so they just let all that stuff sit there.”
"I Wanted to Leave": A Tale of Unhappiness and Lack of Protection
Despite the harsh criticism and toxic environment, Patton felt compelled to stay due to her commitment to the inclusive casting of the series. However, the apparent lack of safeguards and unequal treatment compared to her white colleagues continued to trouble her.
“Any time you hire a minority of any kind you have to be prepared to protect them," she stated, pointing out the systemic vulnerabilities faced by minorities, even on a Hollywood set.
By season two, the severity of the harassment led to Patton contemplating leaving the show. She explained, “If I get pulled over at 2 a.m. in Jackson, Mississippi, by a white cop, do you think he gives a shit that I’m Candice Patton from ‘The Flash’? It doesn’t matter."
Reflecting on her journey, Patton acknowledged that things have improved over time, but the haunting memory of her early years on the show lingers. As the series gears up for its ninth season, it's still unclear whether she will continue her journey as Iris West.
Patton's candid revelations about her ordeal offer a sobering reminder of the deeper systemic issues that persist in Hollywood, and indeed, the world at large.
(Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.)