Actors have to face relentless backlash for playing as villain in movies

Social media reactions for the actors is normal, but for some stars the rants become so painful that they have to say goodbye to the internet to avoid nervous breakdown.

Sometimes even those actors, who play a TV or movie villain so well, end up becoming the subject of hate on social media. No one knows this better than Faye Marsay, who, after playing the Waif in the hit drama received relentless backlash on social media.

The Game of Thrones star has claimed that she had to “take a step back” from the internet because of relentless backlash over her role in the fantasy series.

Faye Marsay, in an interview with The Independent, explained how fans were so outraged by her character’s treatment of Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) she ultimately had to “take a step back” from the internet.

“Just because of the character I played. [The fans] hated her. Because Maisie’s character was, like, the one – and there I am, hitting her with a stick.” 

“Social media can be a brutal tool, and we all know it. Look at the mental health crisis that young people are going through right now — that’s not just because of the pandemic, or teenage angst,” added The Andor cast member.

Marsay’s fellow Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey, cast as Ellie in The Last of Us TV series, also faced an onslaught of social media abuse. The actor, in an interview with The New York Times, admitted that the cruel abuse they faced on social media when the news broke had a lasting impact on their confidence.