Josh McDermitt’s portrayal of Eugene Porter has quickly made the actor one of the show’s most beloved characters and talents. Fans all over the world travel to see the actor in Walking Dead conventions and followed him on social media.
You would assume it would be a great feeling to have so many people tweet and message you before, during, and after every episode of the zombie drama. However, that proud feeling was abruptly cut short this past season after Eugene turned into one of Negan’s saviors on the show. As a result, many fans questioned his loyalty to the Rick and the gang.
But some people took it too far. Some of the fans turned their frustration and converted it into hate. The backlash was so severe that McDermitt decided to quit social media altogether.
The death threats were so severe that McDermitt acknowledges concern on a Facebook live video where he describes how he is taking them very seriously.
“People need to chill the F out with the crap that they’re putting on the internet. It’s very disturbing because we are people, everyone. And I’m not talking about actors. I’m talking about anyone on the internet. I mean, I just read something on CNN the other day where a teenage girl committed suicide who was cyber bullied. This is bullshit. This should never happen.”
Ultimately, the fact that fans took to social media to harass and threaten McDermott adds to the sad reality that some people cannot tell the difference between a TV show and real life.
Moreover, the actor plays a character on TV. He has no impact or cannot make any decisions on the show and even if he did, those decisions do not represent McDermitt as a person.
What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting.
