‘Stranger Things’ Star Denies Mistreatment At London Film And Comic Con: Staff Made Him Feel ‘Very Safe’
KEY POINTS
- "Stranger Things" star Joseph Quinn denied that he was mistreated by London Film and Comic Con staff during a meet and greet
- The rumors surfaced after a video went viral showing the actor getting emotional at the event
- A fan thanked Quinn during a Q&A for being kind to her and other fans during the meet and greet
“Stranger Things” star Joseph Quinn has set the record straight on the social media speculation that he was mistreated by staff during a meet-and-greet event at the London Film and Comic Con in early July.
In an interview with 1883 magazine, the 29-year-old actor, who played Hellfire Club leader Eddie Munson in the hit Netflix series, said that the rumor that he was treated poorly by staff at the fan convention, where he appeared for a photo opportunity and a talk on July 9, is “totally not true.”
“I want to clear that up. They were very amazing. They made me feel very safe and looked after. We just weren’t prepared for the number of people that turned up,” Quinn told the magazine.
He continued, “As I was saying earlier, it’s extremely gratifying to see Eddie have this effect on people. I got a bit emotional as well, but it had nothing to do with the way I was treated.”
Some fans had claimed that Quinn’s meet and greet was oversold by 400 tickets and that staff allegedly “yelled” at the British actor for spending too much time with fans who had paid to see him at the event, according to a report from BuzzFeed News.
Fans took to Twitter to share their experiences and express their disappointment with how London Film and Comic Con staff handled the event.
“Wanna know how bad the access was at LFCC for Joseph Quinn's Upside Down photo shoot? With one of my other photoshoots, I was 43rd. With joe's? 428th. Is it any wonder I was as ill as I was after and received absolutely no help from staff?” one fan claimed.
Another fan tweeted, “The organization was [in] shambles, and the staff was rude as hell. But Joseph Quinn was so genuine and friendly and gave me a hug even though the staff was yelling at him to hurry up. Top bloke.”
Following the event, a video went viral on social media showing Quinn breaking down in tears after fan Kimberley Burrows thanked him during a Q&A for sparing more time for fans during the meet and greet.
The video was uploaded by Samantha Langer, who was also in the audience, via her Instagram fan account @joeandjoseph.
The video was also reposted on TikTok, where it accumulated over 18 million views before it became unavailable on the platform. It was reuploaded to the account @munsonenthusiast, but it is also no longer available there as well, according to Insider.
In the video, Quinn can be seen on stage entertaining questions from fans during the three-day convention held in the Olympia London exhibition center.
"Mine's not really a question. It's just more of an extension of gratitude, really," Burrows said in the viral video, "I'm sure a lot of us have heard what happened yesterday [at the meet and greet], whether it's true or not, about how you were treated."
She continued, "I just wanted to say thank you from all of us. We're really grateful that you're sharing your time. Thank you for signing our things, for spending time with us, for making our summer. I think that we've all really connected with Eddie for one reason or another. Whether we liked his music taste or that he is the outsider like you mentioned. I think all of us are part of Eddie."
“We’ve traveled far because we all really connect with you as well, and you’ve really made our weekend. You’ve really made mine as well, you were so nice to me and my guide dog yesterday,” Burrows, who is blind, added. “However you were treated yesterday, we are so grateful — thank you.”
After the fan finished her message to Quinn, the crowd applauded and erupted in cheers while the “Stanger Things” star wiped away tears.
“Ah, why'd you do that?" Quinn jokingly said.
Quinn stole the hearts of “Stranger Things” fans because of his quirky and relatable character Eddie, who was a heavy metal music lover and leader of the “Dungeons and Dragons” club at Hawkins High School. He received an overwhelming amount of support, including video tributes on TikTok. Fans also hoped that he would return for the final season of “Stranger Things” despite the character's death at the end of Season 4.
When asked by 1883 magazine if the massive support from fans and continuous events have been intimidating to him, despite him seemingly handling it well, Quinn said, “The whole experience has been very overwhelming. It’s very touching to see people respond how they have to Eddie. I did not predict that. That’s very warming.”
He added, “There’s a lot of stuff around the role that has nothing to do with the work which is very new to me and different. It’s exciting. It’s a little bit odd. Professionally, it is 100% positive. Personally, it’s 90% positive, and 10% insanity. Managing that 10% is the job at the moment.”
After “Stanger Things,” Quinn is set to star in the upcoming period drama “Hoard.”
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