After a popular—and very controversial—three-year run, the fourth and final season of Netflix's teen drama 13 Reasons Why has officially dropped on Netflix, and although it was far from perfect and wasn't always carried out in the right way, the show brought a lot of hard topics that young people deal with regularly to the national conversation, and the some of the show's stars are very grateful for being a part of that.
"A legacy of compassion and understanding, and a willingness to go deeper into the dark," out actor Brandon Flynn, who plays Justin on the series, told PRIDE when asked about the legacy he wants the show to leave behind. "There is a lot of darkness, but there are always solutions. So if we can help prevent certain things from happening by talking about them and erasing a stigma behind certain things, like addiction, like suicide, like rape even, there is possible hope."
"Even for myself, five years from now, even tomorrow, I love being able to watch things and feeling like I'm being validated or I can relate with the people on-screen," Alisha Boe, who plays Jessica, added. "I definitely see that already. There are so many shows out there that tackle mental illness and uncomfortable topics."
13 Reasons Why also featured a diverse, realistic portrayal of modern high schoolers, and when asked about what it was like to have brought even more representation to the teen drama genre, Ross Butler (who plays Zach) said, "To see yourself portrayed accurately on-screen, like me growing up Asian-American, I didn't see Asian-American jocks in the high school shows or anything. So for me personally, that was very fulfilling."
"When I was growing up, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me being in a leading role with their own storyline," Boe said. "It was always like, cast as the best friend or the sassy sister or something like that. So I love being able to be in a role that has her own storyline and her own power and everything."
"The proof is in the pudding," said Flynn. "We just went for it, and we've been a top show on Netflix and it has never had anything to do with the controversy behind the show. It has never held us back by being inclusive and diverse and I think we don't really talk about it because it just works. It's reality."
The fourth and final season of 13 Reasons Why is now streaming on Netflix!
