Stranger Things actress Grace Van Dien shared a story about why she’s turning more roles down and spending time on Twitch. Twitch has become a massive platform over the last decade. While it’s largely used by ordinary people who manage to grow a platform for themselves on digital services like Twitch or YouTube, it has expanded a lot in recent years. Major political figures such as presidential candidates have used Twitch to broadcast things like speeches and rallies, celebrities like Keke Palmer have used it to stream themselves playing games like The Sims in an effort to connect more with their fans, and people like T-Pain straight up use it almost as a primary career tool these days. It shows just how far the industry has come since its earliest days.
Now, Stranger Things star Grace Van Dien sees it as more of a viable career path for herself going forward after some disturbing experiences in Hollywood. The actress, known for her role as Chrissy Cunningham in Stranger Things, has opened up (via Kotaku) about why she is choosing to prioritize streaming on Twitch now. She noted that she had an encounter with a producer on a movie she had worked on where she was asked to have a threesome with another girl he had hired. She expressed how much it upset her, noting that he was essentially her boss, and put her in an uncomfortable situation. However, on Twitch, she feels there’s less harassment.
“The fact of the matter is, the last few projects I worked on…I didn’t have the best experiences with some of the people I had to work for,” she said. “With streaming, I get to choose who I hang out with, who I talk to.”
Of course, Twitch has its share of harassment too. Twitch streamers have come forward about being harassed or outright assaulted by other people in the industry. There’s also the fact that people in chat can be pretty nasty too, but at least they can be banned very quickly and removed from the situation.
What do you think about Grace Van Dien’s focus on Twitch? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.