Stranger Things‘ Grace Van Dien says unwanted advances from film producer turned her off from acting
Grace Van Dien is sticking to Twitch livestreams for now after experiencing sexual harassment on set
Aux News Van Dien
The entertainment industry still has a lot of problems to address in a post #MeToo environment. The organization formed to address some of those problems, Time’s Up, has collapsed after being caught advising sexual predators; and many of those predators are apparently still thriving in positions of power, at least according to Stranger Things Chrissy Cunningham, Grace Van Dien.
The actor, who is the daughter of Starship Troopers star Casper Van Dien and also starred in Netflix’s Greenhouse Academy, told fans during a Twitch livestream that she has voluntarily chosen to press pause on her career for that reason (per Variety). “Here’s the thing, I have seen that some people are upset with me for turning down acting projects and deciding to stream more, but the fact of the matter is the last few projects I’ve worked on I didn’t have the best experiences with some of the people I had to work for,” she explained.
“One of the last movies I did, one of the producers asked me to… like, he hired a girl that he was sleeping with and then he had her ask me to have a threesome with them,” Van Dien went on. “So… that’s my boss. And then I didn’t and I cried and I was so upset. But when people are like, ‘How is streaming better for your mental health?’ That’s how. I get to stay inside my house and play video games and I don’t have my boss asking me to have sex with them.”
If there’s any silver lining to be found in the situation, it’s that Van Dien has a platform of her own where she can share her experiences. There’s no telling how many artists have been driven from the industry by sexual harassment without ever being able to tell their stories. But Van Dien isn’t quitting on Hollywood for good. “I’m happy here, and I’m developing my own projects,” she said. “I’m hoping that someone decides to fund them because then I can be in control of my own set, and I’m not gonna ask my actors to sleep with me.”
73 Comments
I had to look up who she was. She was Chrissy on s4 of Stranger Things. I think she did a nice job with a tricky role
Thanks for that. Shame on me for assuming AV Club would actually do their job and mention which character she played.
They did say “breakout star of Stranger Things” in the first paragraph.
“Breakout star of Stranger Things” can apply to like 90% of the entire cast. Lol.
How is that describing who she was? The only non-breakout stars are Winona Ryder and David Harbour (and Astin in season 2) and maybe one other.
It’s like even they want us to leave the site to find info elsewhere.
This story isn’t about Stranger Things, why would it be their job to repeat a well known, but unrelated, fact?
Because that’s the point of the piece.
I recognized her because my wife took a picture with her at one of those fan expos.
I mean, it broke her
I 100% believe she experienced what she said she did. That being said, looking at her lack of credits…I think the industry might have been the one to press pause on her.
Wherever there’s positions of power, there’s always going to be people who gravitate towards those positions so they can abuse that power. A lot of people can’t speak out about their abuse, and that’s their own business, and not something anyone should feel bad about. There are also those who can talk out about it, and I’m grateful she’s been one of them, because the more we talk about it, the more we can get abusers brought to the light, and make sure what happened to her doesn’t happen to other people too.
Mary, I’m sorry but this is some hacky bullshit. You couldn’t even bother including which character she played? Here, I’ll help you;“at least according to breakout star Grace Van Dien, who played the role of Chrissy in Stranger Things season four.”This, plus two plagiarized news stories in one week… man, things are really going downhill quick.
And yet here we all are. Again.
We’re here because of you. You complete us.
This is accurate.
haha yeah *cries*
I got’s no place else to go!
I wasn’t aware of plagiarism here on top of everything else. What articles were they?
Here’s one I spotted; https://www.avclub.com/1850192702And here’s one other people spotted; https://www.avclub.com/goldie-hawn-stood-up-to-harvey-weinstein-sort-of-won-1850206997
That first one is definitely plagiarism, but the second is more iffy IMO. There they’re summarizing a longer article that they’ve explicitly cited, and they’ve done that for years. It’s certainly lazy and annoying, but I’m not sure it’s quite the same level of unethical.
at least according to Stranger Things Chrissy Cunningham, Grace Van Dien.*UPDATE*They did it! Yay.
Not really. There needs to be an apostrophe after “Stranger Things”. As it stands, it’s only by assuming that the writer doesn’t know how English grammar works, and adjusting accordingly, that the reader can tell that “Chrissy Cunningham” is the character she played on Stranger Things.
So it looks like the article does mention her character, did Mary edit it? If so, pretty on brand for them to edit the article and not acknowledge it.
Yes, it’s now been edited.
Yeah, it’s par for the course on this site for a stealth edit… Then again, Sam would have never gone back to edit at all.
Yep. I know regurgitating various Variety/Hollywood Reporter/etc. articles is the site’s bread and butter these days, but they’ve gotten significantly lazier at covering up their plagiarism. What’s worse is they’re typically such crummy writers that key details tend to get lost or distorted through all the article telephoning. C’mon, at least pull a Barsanti and just bury your lack of original reporting under a layer of dense, impenetrable snark.
Downhill quick? Naw naw naw this has been a gradual downslide for years now.
Thank you for this. I haven’t watched ST since Season 1 and I’ve forgotten all of the character’s names, but I know Crissy from the viral TikTok sound last year.
Hemp seeds are a source of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, and some pet owners may wonder if they are safe and healthy for gerbils to consume. While hemp seeds are not toxic to gerbils, it is not recommended to feed them to gerbils on a regular basis.Gerbils have a unique digestive system that is adapted to their natural diet of seeds, grasses, and insects, and they require a balanced and specific diet to maintain their health. Hemp seeds are high in fat and may lead to obesity and other health problems if fed in excess. In addition, hemp seeds may also contain trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana, which could be harmful to gerbils if consumed in large quantities.It is always best to provide gerbils with a diet that is specifically formulated for their nutritional needs, such as commercial gerbil food pellets, fresh vegetables, and small amounts of seeds and nuts as treats. If you have any concerns about your gerbil’s diet, it is recommended to consult with a veterinarian or a qualified animal nutritionist for advice.Also, she played Chrissy on Stranger Things.
Now I’m imagining a bunch of stoned gerbils.“Have you noticed Puffy & Weezer haven’t been spending much time running on the wheel? They’re just staring at the TV all day.”
Are you Crystal Jewel’s unaborted daughter Julia?
Every time I see a picture of Fever Ray, I have nightmares for weeks.
I feed gerbils pancakes.It kills them.
Did you ever see me hold a Cheerio? It’s pretty fucking adorable.
* Three hams will fill him, three hams will thrill him, why don’t you give him…THREE HAMS?! *
“If there’s any silver lining to be found in the situation, it’s that Van Dien is happy doing what she’s doing now.”THAT is the silver lining, you fucking asshole.
Maybe instead of goofing off on Twitch, she could enlist in the war and make a difference, like her father. RICO’S ROUGHNECKS!
Comment of the Day
Do you want to learn more?
Starship Troopers Understander #62402099821024
It’s a shame because the film and TV industry and notoriously hard to break into and she was able to defeat the nigh impossible odds only to have to deal with stuff like that.
I dunno…I was always honored to be asked to be in a threesome with a couple when I was a younger fella the few times it happened. Said no except once but still thought it was nice they wanted me involved. I guess when you work in restaurants you don’t mind if it’s your boss or co-worker that invites you.
Wait, are we supporting her, or are we mad that she’s a nepo baby? Tell me what to be outraged about, AV Club!
I don’t think being a nepo baby negates the on-set abuse. You can still disapprove of nepotism while condemning sexual harassment and assault.
Where exactly was the sexual harassment?
Inquiring sex pests want to know
If you want to generalize you could equate both of these as “what people with power do with their power.” It wasn’t too long ago that using your power explicitly, as out in the open as you can be, in this way was not considered “an abuse of power” but just “a use of power.” The problem is that a lot of people on the willing, receiving end of the benefits of this abuse would also hide it not because of fear from retaliation but the repercussions of if it was known that the only reason you got/kept your position in life was due to it. And obviously on the other end, the abusers would keep it quiet to protect “their product.”
Obviously nepotism isn’t illegal in this context but sexual harassment is, but via this generalization, the statement “the only reason you are even in the public eye is [nepotism/sexual favors]” has very little coverage regarding one of those when they are the same result to the public.The main mindset behind the sociopathic narcissists in this position of power is that the real value behind the human in some role is nearly 0 and they are just interchangeable. At least with nepo babies they get the tagline “so and so, offspring of famous so and so” as part of the deal.
I’m hoping that was weapon’s grade snark from TTO.
Dumb
The amount of regular people who feel very defensive on the behalf of rich celebrities about “nepo baby” is super weird
Uh…..I…don’t really think being the daughter of Casper Van Dien would result in a whole heaping of nepotism. Not unless you want to break into the upper echelons of The Asylum.So let’s just say everything she’s achieved with Stranger Things, she did on her own merits.
Nepo-baby tears of crystal – “Come on, you apes, you wanna live forever?”
Wait, so she was asked to be in a three-some and so now she’s done with acting? Lol!
She was asked to be in a threesome by the girl who was fucking her boss. Asswipe.
So? A simple no and “eww” would suffice.
And sometimes actors get punished when they say no. Dumbass.
Well, did she get punished? Cunt.
It’s not like Hollywood assholes don’t have a history of punishing people for refusing their advances you dumb hick
So I guess you’re a supporter of profiling and stop-and-frisk laws. Way to be racist whore.
You got your tests handed back to you face down didn’t you?
Lol! I win.
Whatever keeps your lights on dude.
One of the last movies I did Let’s list her most recent film credits:Year Title Role 2020 Riding Faith Grace
2020 Lady Driver Ellie Lansing
2020 The Binge Lena
2022 V for Vengeance Scarlett
2022 Roost Anna
That last one is also titled “What Comes Around”. She has two films in post-production, “Alaska” and “Aaah! Roach!”.
Fun fact: Like Steven Spielberg, I don’t think she was around to personally witness World War 2
Fact check: correct.
In a parody of The Purge, all alcohol and drugs are prohibited the entire year, except on the titular Binge, where alcohol and drugs are permitted for 12 hours.I’m sure this movie is pretty terrible but this actually sounds pretty funny as a concept of a parody.
Review here:https://film.avclub.com/purge-parody-the-binge-is-about-as-much-fun-as-a-hangov-1844829330It got a Christmas-themed sequel last December titled “It’s a Wonderful Binge”.
Given how current her role was on ST4, her bio appears pretty far down in IMDB when I was searching for the info that AVCLUB left out. Also her bio is below SweatyBoy3 and Student Athlete if anyone else is searching for her…
Casper Van Dien, oh I love that band especially their song with the bowling skinheads
So for the people playing along at home, you know misogyny is an actual problem because you see people like this who theoretically have money, wealth, status, and connections, and they still have to put up with this shit. There are parts of the internet who love to say “Well, misogyny isn’t really a big deal these days. You should be grateful you live in ‘Murrica and not in Iran.” And here we have someone whose life should theoretically radiate privilege who has lost part of her career because of some sexist slimebag, and this was the story we heard over and over during #MeToo. I don’t live in Iran, but I also can’t access basic medical care in half the country, and my daily life includes having to do the math of how many of the men I’m going to be dealing with today will be sexist slimebags, and it never fucking ends.
The parallels between this and pornstars working on OnlyFans are alarming. I’m just surprised Twitch is seen as a safe haven from toxic behaviour.