The Boys Star Erin Moriarty Calls Out Hateful 'Fans' for Making Her Feel 'Dehumanized'

Starlight is done being silenced. 

The Boys actress Erin Moriarty took to Instagram last night to speak out against the misogynistic "trolling" she's become subjected to while playing the superhero on the Amazon original series. In her post, Moriarty shared screenshots from a fan essay highlighting her treatment from so-called fans. "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," the author wrote. "But Annie is fictional, and Erin is not."

Moriarty echoed these sentiments in her caption, writing "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)." 

"...I've opened up a vein for this role and this kind of trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against," Moriarty continued. "Everyone’s going through their own battle(s); let’s not add to that. I will never intentionally (and ESPECIALLY) publicly add to yours. 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 Boys cast members like Jack Quaid and Antony Starr expressed support for their co-star in the comments, calling her an "incredible, talented force of nature" and "beautiful inside and out". "Leave the trolls to us," Quaid wrote. "We got your back."

The Boys is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Season 4 is currently in production.

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Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.