#i'm v sympathetic to charlie in this situation but also

[julies-butterflies]

I've been wondering this since the whole tiktok thing this morning. I'm not trying to offend here- I'm genuinely curious. Why is Charlie interacting with those fans a bad thing? How is it different from any other artist talking with people who have viewed/read their work? Idk if that convo was real, but I don’t think Charlie would ask a fan what smut was and then, once he found out, continue to talk about it (not that we know whether that happened, because we do not). (1/4)

But, Isn't it normal for somebody to reach out with people who've enjoyed their work, to connect with them about it? Is it only because they were minors? I’ve also seen something about how Charlie supposedly “confirmed” lalex but from what I’ve seen he said “lalex is a yes” which could also just mean that he’d be cool with it if it /was/ confirmed, not that he was confirming it himself. But regardless, Charlie had some involvement in the creation of the character of Luke. (2/4)

It was written for him to portray how he saw fit, and the creators of the show liked his interpretation enough to cast him. So, if Charlie wants to make Lalex an aspect of his character (obviously past Lalex, because Alex is involved with Willie now, and Luke with Julie) why is that so bad? (3/4)

If he takes that into account when he’s acting, that’s his choice as an actor, you know? If I’m incorrect about any of this please let me know. I’m just trying to understand why this is all such a big issue. Thank you so much for explaining this because I honestly just want to understand !! :) (4/4)

Okay, first of all, thank you so much for formulating your thoughts like this and sharing, because it’s totally a discussion that needs to be had!!  You definitely make great points.  An actor’s portrayal is up the the actor  ---  so if Charlie and Owen want to play their characters as exes, that’s up to them, and totally cool.  People can also ships whatever fictional couples they want, and rock it  ---  that’s the beauty of fandom!

Part of the fun of fandom also comes with interacting with the cast and crew. I get that, believe me. But all actors need to set boundaries with their fans; fans cannot be friends, and it’s important to remember that. 

To put it in context... okay, I come from a lot of Broadway fandoms, and Broadway fans are very familiar with interacting with actors. On Broadway, there’s something called a stage door  ---  after shows, fans can line up, and the actors will come out to sign autographs, take pictures, and chat with fans for a few minutes. Hugs are given out, gifts are exchanged...  it’s an amazing, interactive experience for the fans, and hopefully fun for the actors too.

But some actors don’t like to stage door. Some actors aren’t comfortable giving out hugs to strangers, or receiving gifts from people they don’t know. Sometimes, actors just have really rough days, and don’t feel like stagedooring. These are their boundaries. Most of the time, Broadway fans are really good at respecting them.

But you don’t give fanfiction to the actors at stage door. You don’t ask them inappropriate questions about ships and headcanons. You definitely don’t ask them about their relationships with their fellow actors. Interactions between fans and actors should be kept mutually respectful, always always always; they can be friendly, it’s fine to chat with them, but there are some things you just don’t do. It can make the actors uncomfortable, and puts everyone in an awkward situation. Also, it’s cringe. Super cringe.

The issue with Charlie in these groupchats isn’t that he’s saying he’s cool with Lalex to fans, and definitely not whether he ships it himself; it’s that they’re asking him about it, and putting him in a situation where he’s obligated to talk about it. It’s that minors are asking him about smut, and automatically putting him in a situation where he could be called predatory. It’s that he’s put himself in this situation anyways, by being in these group chats and engaging with them in the first place.

Fans are not friends. Actors have a responsibility in how they engage with fandom and interact with their fanbases. It’s not just “don’t be creepy”, it’s “don’t act like you’re a normal person”  ---  because to fans, you’re not. You’re a public figure, and that power dynamic will never be equal.

And it puts Charlie in a dangerous situation that could potentially damage his career and public image. All it takes is one groupchat with one minor, where someone brings up smut fanfic, and suddenly people are like “who’s this 22-year old actor talking about smut with 16 year old girls??”  A Very Bad Look, and dangerous for his career as a whole. 

That’s why this is a big deal. The fans need to learn to respect boundaries, and Charlie needs to learn to set them. If he wants a successful career as an actor, he needs to. For fans’ safety, and his own.