Former Stars of ‘Teen Wolf' at Monte-Carlo TV Festival Reflect on L.A. Protests, ICE Raids and Upcoming No Kings Day Marches
During a press conference tied to a reunion of the stars of supernatural teen drama 'Teen Wolf' at the 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival Saturday, some of the former cast members took time to reflect on what's happening in Los Angeles, and America more broadly, at present.
Charlie Carver, who played Ethan on the hit MTV show, said: 'I live pretty close to downtown [L.A.], where most of the protests are happening. I think that the media is unfortunately sensationalizing the scale of these events. A frame can isolate anything you want it to. The demonstrations are, for the most part, incredibly peaceful, celebratory.
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'And I think L.A. – because of all of the traumas it's been through, especially in the past six months – like there's a real sense of community there. I hope that people wake up to the fact that this isn't only about immigration.
'Obviously, I think it's inhumane how people are being just sort of ripped off the street, but it's also about due process. I think it is going to be a big test. We'll find out today with the No Kings Day marches all over the United States about due process, constitutionalism, and I'm proud that L.A. is taking a stand on this.'
Holland Roden, who played Lydia in 'Teen Wolf,' observed, 'We've had a tough six months in L.A.,' referencing the fires and now the ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids and the protests but also looking further back than that to the strikes.
Roden was once detained by immigration officials in Brazil for 16 hours for a visa-related issue, but she pushed back firmly at any suggestion that that experience gave her any insight into how those being seized by ICE agents felt.
'As far as my detention in Brazil, I would say there's no comparison. I mean, what these people are going through … I mean, mine was a visa mistake that got sorted out, and it was kind of crazy. There were two fans, I think, that saw the situation go down with this customs guy, and it got blown out of proportion. And this customs guy was on a real power trip at work one day.
'I had been to Brazil, I think, three times on the same visa. No problems. So it was just like a weird coincidence that he was like, 'Something's wrong with your visa,' and I just was whisked away. I was definitely scared … you know what? … I wouldn't say I was scared, but I was, like, very confused to have all my rights taken away … taking away my computer, my phone, for 16 hours, sat in a room. They wouldn't give me a translator. They kept yelling at me in Portuguese. It was a really, like, unsettling experience, but I think, in my gut, I knew what was happening wasn't right, and it got sorted out. But, you know, these mistakes happen, and it's unfortunate.
'In America's case, some of these mistakes are like destroying families. You hear stories of people who have been deported that were citizens.
'There's no comparison between the two experiences, but government can be really scary across all nations, and I don't blame any Brazilian or American for their government's problems. Unfortunately, me travelling in the world, I've noticed government's one thing, and the people of this country are another, and I've never really convoluted the two. So, it's just a shame that, like, the governments in our world are just so urgh! … I mean, I think we can all relate to things that go down in the French government that you roll your eyes at. You know, we're the same in America.'
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