Caleb McLaughlin was 14 when he was cast in Stranger Things. He's faced racism ever since.

Caleb McLaughlin was just 14 when he scored the role of a lifetime, playing Lucas in the hit show, Stranger Things.

But the actor has revealed he almost didn't go to the audition. 

"I remember auditioning for a whole bunch of series that I didn’t get. I kept getting rejected," he told Teen Vogue. "I was about to tell my mum I didn’t want to audition for this, but then I was like, You know what? I’ll do it because this is what I wanna do. I wanna act."

Of course, he got the part - and the show was an instant hit. 

Watch the trailer for Stranger Things season four. Post continues after video. 

But it hasn't been an easy ride for McLaughlin. Acting alongside other child stars,  Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo and Finn Wolfhard (and later Sadie Sink), he very much felt like the odd one out and that fans didn't show him the same adoration as the others. 

Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin in season one of Stranger Things. Image: Netflix.

While at the Comic-Con convention in 2016, McLaughlin said he found not many fans would line up to meet him.

"It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid," he said. "Some people didn't stand in my line because I was Black. Some people told me, 'Oh I didn't want to be in your line but because you were mean to Eleven [played by Millie Bobby Brown]'."

Despite now being four seasons into Stranger Things, McLaughlin says he still sometimes feels 'excluded' from fans' love.

"Even now some people don't follow me or don't support me because I'm Black," he shared, adding, "Sometimes overseas you feel the racism, you feel the bigotry. Sometimes it's hard to talk about and for people to understand, but when I was younger, it definitely affected me a lot."

Caleb McLaughlin in Stranger Things. Image: Netflix.

As a young boy, he had not understood at first why he was not as popular as his fellow cast mates. Then he had a conversation with his parents about it. 

"My parents had to be like, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the Black child on the show,'" McLaughlin explained. "Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I'm not loved."

Because McLaughlin's time in the spotlight hasn't been easy, he created the #EmbraceYourFace and #BeYourBiggestFan movements and made a way for supporters and fellow cast members to embrace their insecurities and share their stories.

Listen to this bonus episode of The Spill, where Laura Brodnik, Chelsea McLaughlin and Emily Vernem discuss the new season of Stranger Things, Post continues after audio.

"My parents always told me to be my biggest fan since I was young. When no one else is your fan, you have to be your own cheerleader," he explained to Teen Vogue. "I wanted to show people they have to love themselves and embrace that. I wanted to let them know I’m here for them and spread love."

The response, he says, has left him 'pretty emotional'. 

"This lady stood up and told me once I started it that before I started #EmbraceYourFace, she said she [was having suicidal ideation]," he said. "Once she saw my Instagram post, she said she didn't want to do it anymore because she said, 'Caleb is his biggest fan, I'm gonna be mine.' She got pretty teary, I was pretty emotional.

"That's why with my platform I want to spread positivity and love," McLaughlin said, "because I do not give hate back to people who give hate to me."

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will likely be heading to Netflix sometime in 2024. In the meantime, we will be waiting patiently for whatever McLaughlin does next. 

Feature Image: Getty.