Katherine Langford speaks out on ’13 Reasons Why’ controversy

18 May 2017
By Fashion Quarterly
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The star’s response may surprise you…

Ever since 13 Reasons Why dropped on Netflix back in March, it seems like every man and his dog has an opinion on it.

Many viewers have praised the dark series for tackling important issues such as suicide, bullying and rape, while others have argued it could be triggering to those already suffering from mental illness.

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And while everyone from Selena Gomez to show runner Brian Yorkey have come out defending their portrayal of these issues, Katherine Langford, who plays the late Hannah Baker, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to give her thoughts on why there’s been so much controversy.

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Speaking to host Jimmy Fallon, the Aussie actor said:

“Of course there’s controversy… I think things like these instigate discussion, which is the important part. And I think we cover so many important issues in the show that are going to affect people differently depending on their own personal context.”

She added, “And I’m like everyone’s feelings are valid, so I’m not going to tell anyone to feel anything differently, but personally being directly involved in the show and seeing the thought and consideration that went into it…Also being a young adult, playing a young adult and covering issues that are relevant, I feel really proud of the way we covered it and the way we showed things.”

Katherine Langsford with Jimmy Fallon

She also said that she’s making a conscious effort to help others when it comes to finding support for these issues, revealing, “My Instagram following has just grown exponentially, and I pretty much put the links to 13reasonswhy.info and the organization itsonus.org – I put their links in my bio. Because I figure if one in 10 girls watch that out of five million, you’re going to hopefully help a lot of people.

And this is why we totally love Katherine.

Words: Jessica Lynch
Photos: Courtesy Netflix, Getty Images
This article was first published on Dolly

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