The Boys actress Erin Moriarty is opening up about how “silenced” and “dehumanized” she feels in the wake of comments made about her physical appearance in Season 3.
On Tuesday night, Moriarty — who plays Annie January aka Starlight on the Prime Video series — posted excerpts of a recent Boys fan essay on Instagram. The essay, titled “#IStandWithStarlight?: The betrayal of Erin Moriarty by The Boys ‘fans,’” calls out the “overwhelming malice and misogyny” directed at Moriarty during the show’s recent third season, particularly the “unsolicited commentary on her appearance.”
“Whilst I’m sure her male colleagues have endured unjust criticism, the obsession with her looks and the extent of objectification is unmatched,” essay author butcherscanary wrote, noting that Moriarty’s “every post and pose” has drawn criticism of her looks and comparisons to her appearance in previous Boys seasons. “The harassment feels all the worse given the context of her role as Starlight on the show, a woman silenced and sexualised, treated like a celebrity canvas for others to project onto rather than a human being with her own thoughts and feelings. But Annie is fictional, and Erin is not.”
After posting several screenshots of the essay on Instagram, Moriarty wrote in her caption, “I do feel silenced. I do feel dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed. I’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into this role (over & over & over again), I’ve grown UP in this character’s shoes (*emphasis on grown up – we change & evolve mentally AND physically). So with that I say: a) thank you to @butcherscanary b) this does break my heart – I’ve opened up a vein for this role and this kind of trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against and c) everyone’s going through their own battle(s); let’s not add to that. I will never intentionally (and ESPECIALLY) publicly add to yours.” (Note: An earlier version of Moriarty’s caption called fans’ behavior “misogynistic trolling,” but has since been edited to “this kind of trolling.”)
“This has only strengthened my empathy muscle and to anyone who comes at me: I see you, I don’t hate you, I only empathize and forgive,” the actress concluded. (Prime Video did not immediately respond to TVLine’s request for comment.)
Several of Moriarty’s Boys co-stars commented with supportive messages, including Jack Quaid, who plays her on-screen love interest Hughie Campbell. “Love you Erin. We’re all here for you,” he wrote. “You’re such an incredible, talented force of nature and I consider myself incredibly lucky to know you. Keep shining bright. Leave the trolls to us. We got your back.”
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