There are always some fans who take things too far. Valorie Curry, who plays Firecracker in Season 4 of The Boys, has appealed to fans, asking them to behave appropriately after an uncomfortable experience at Comic Con Northern Ireland. Curry joined the cast of The Boys for its fourth season, playing the alt-right, conspiracy-theory-spouting “Patriot” Firecracker, who becomes a member of The Seven. Desperate to prove herself to Homelander (Antony Starr), Firecracker adheres to a strict diet and supplement routine, in order to appeal to Homelander’s creepy obsession with milk.
In a video message shared on her Instagram story following the event, Curry called out a handful of fans for their “deeply innapropriate” and “extreme” behavior during the convention. The actress didn’t describe how the fans behaved, but fans of The Boys can assume what happened. “I’ve only just started doing these conventions on my own and everyone, for the most part, has been so lovely and so kind and so respectful – it’s really been wonderful. But we do need to talk about boundaries and what is appropriate in terms of behaviour,” the actress said. Curry pointed out that, just because her character behaved in a certain way, gives fans no excuse to behave similarly towards her as an actress. She continued:
“I know people saw a character that I play do some pretty extreme things on The Boys. I don’t care if you’re in costume, I don’t care if you are in character. It’s not okay and it’s not funny to demand those things from me in person at my booth. It’s not okay. Frankly, to the person who did that repeatedly today, I made it pretty clear that it wasn’t OK and that only seemed to make this person and their friend angry. I didn’t think this needed to be explained but I was deeply uncomfortable – it was quite clear I was uncomfortable.”
“Honestly, you should know better. Everybody else knows better. I don’t know what reaction you were looking for,” Curry added. The actress said that she enjoys fan interactions following the show’s release, especially at conventions. However, she said she’s “not going to be able to do this if people are acting this way because it makes me so uncomfortable.”
Comic Con Northern Ireland Responds to Inappropriate Fans
Following the incident, Monopoly Events, the organizers of Comic Con Northern Island released a statement (via the BBC), condemning the fans for their “inappropriate” behavior. Monopoly Events also confirmed that they had reached out to Curry following the incident. The statement read:
“They are not in character or portraying the roles you see on the screen. Please treat all of the guests and each other with respect, and be aware that it isn’t acceptable to make inappropriate comments regardless of being in cosplay and ‘portraying’ a character yourself. Making a guest, or other person, feel uncomfortable for you and your friends amusement is unacceptable.”
Curry is set to return for the fifth and final season of The Boys. No plot details have been released, and Curry hasn’t given away any spoilers about her character’s role in Season 5. However, the actress has said she hopes Firecracker meets a gruesome and bloody end in the show’s final season.
The Boys
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