'He had her ask me to have a threesome with them.' Why Stranger Things' Grace Van Dien quit acting.

Stranger Things has propelled a bunch of relatively known stars into Hollywood. Think Joseph Quinn, Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown. 

For actor Grace Van Dien, Stranger Things was one of her biggest roles. She played cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham who hides quite a mysterious secret in season four. 

Despite the success of the show, Van Dien said she has no plans to continue acting. And it has everything to do with certain interactions she had with producers during her time in the industry.

Watch Stranger Things 4 - Volume 2 Sneak Peek. Story continues below.

Van Dien is not a complete stranger to the entertainment industry. 

Her dad is quite famous, Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. who played the lead role Johnny Rico in the 1997 science-fiction film Starship Troopers. Her mum is also The Bold and The Beautiful actor Carrie Mitchum.

But recently, she said that despite the connections and great roles acquired, her experience has been far from rosy. 

"I have seen that some people are upset with me for turning down acting projects and deciding to stream more, but the fact of the matter is the last few projects I've worked on I didn't have the best experiences with some of the people I had to work for," she said via a Twitch stream this month.

"One of the last movies I did, one of the producers asked me to… like, he hired a girl that he was sleeping with and then he had her ask me to have a threesome with them. So… that's my boss. And then I didn't and I cried and I was so upset," Van Dien said. 

Movies that Van Dien has starred in include Lady Driver, Sleep Beauty, The Binge, The Bad Twin and What Comes Around.

Van Dien hadn't always thought a career in acting was for her.

As she said in an interview with People in 2019, her parents had been wary of her joining the entertainment industry.

"I wanted to go to college and become a writer, and I didn't want to be a part of this world at all. I'm very shy from it," she said. 

"When I was showing interest in it he [her dad] just taught me, if ever something bad happened, to come to him and he'll handle it. Hasn't happened yet."

Now four years later, it's changed.

Grace Van Dien at the Stranger Things premiere. Image: Getty.

In her Twitch stream this month, Van Dien said she now prefers to live stream herself playing video games (and making an income from that) rather than pursuing acting. 

In 2022, the actor began streaming her video game play on Twitch under the username BlueFille, and she has since amassed 296,000 followers.

"When people are like, 'How is streaming better for your mental health?' That's how. I get to stay inside my house and play video games, and I don't have my boss asking me to have sex with them," she said.

In response to sharing her story, Van Dien's father wrote on Twitter: "I am so proud of my Daughter @GraceVanDien. The sky is the limit for you!"

Reflecting on the future Van Dien said she has no plans to continue acting - rather the only career in this industry she would consider, is producing or being in the executive's seat. Because that way, she can control the behaviour tolerated on those sets. 

"I'm happy here, and I'm developing my own projects. I'm hoping that someone decides to fund them because then I can be in control of my own set, and I'm not gonna ask my actors to sleep with me."

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Feature Image: Getty/Netflix/Mamamia.

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