Charlie Wright’s casting as Rodrick Heffley in the fourth live-action Diary of a Wimpy Kid film sparked the #NotMyRodrick meme, which the actor claimed had “ruined my career”. In a video about the incident that was uploaded on YouTube and TikTok on Sunday, the actor addressed the harsh criticism he received after playing Rodrick Heffley in what is considered to be his first public statement.
In the nine-minute clip, Wright talked about the negative reaction that followed the initial release of David Bowers’ Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul trailer in early 2017. This revelation has sparked outrage among fans, who are now calling for a much-needed change in the entertainment industry.
Based on author Jeff Kinney’s children’s book series of the same name, The Long Haul is the stand-alone sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012). The film’s main character, Greg Heffley, has an older brother named Rodrick, played by Charlie Wright.
Charlie Wright: Hateful Memes ‘Ruined My Career’
Charlie Wright, 25, posted a video on YouTube and TikTok on Sunday in which he talked about getting the role in the 2017 family comedy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, which was the final live-action installment in the series. Directed by David Bowers and based on the children’s book series of the same name by author Jeff Kinney, the flick had a whole new cast.
Wright assumed the role of Heffley, the older brother of Jason Drucker’s Greg Heffley.
In the bombshell video, Wright recalled of viewer’s reaction to his 2016 casting announcement. Online criticism of the film, which culminated in the hashtag #NotMyRodrick, was primarily directed at Wright when 20th Century Fox released a trailer for Bowers’ film in March 2017.
“Let’s just say that when the world found out I was playing Rodrick, they weren’t very happy. For the better half of 2017 and honestly until like 2018, I was kind of a worldwide meme, not to brag or anything.”
At some point, the trend turned into more serious derision and anger directed at Wright, despite his initial claims that he found humor in many of the jokes. The movie’s YouTube trailers remain closed for comments even after seven years.
He also uttered some heartbreaking words at one point in the video:
“To have people saying they wished I was dead for just doing my job was kinda crazy…no one was really there to guide me through it or help me.”
Although the initial online fervor subsided, Wright noted that “there were still a couple of stragglers that were in my DMs or in the comments on my Instagram”. Continuing, he admitted:
“The random death threats were a little disturbing, I will be honest.”
The actor also mentioned in his video that he went through “a depressive episode for almost three years” after the release of The Long Haul, claiming this is the first time he has ever spoken publicly about his experience.
Fans Demand Change in Tinseltown After Charlie Wright’s Shocking Bombshell
Well, Charlie Wright acknowledged that he has “moved on”. Still, there was a cost to all the criticism surrounding the role, memes, and remarks. In his revelation video, the actor—whose IMDb page last lists him as having starred in Yellowjackets in 2021—said it had somewhat “ruined my acting career, but I am still alive”.
Despite not harboring any animosity toward the people who turned him into a meme, Wright regretted in his video that
“No one was there to really guide me through it or help me. I just had to suck it up and deal with it; I had to figure it out on my own and it took me three years to finally let go and move on.”
The admission has struck a chord with fans who are fed up with their favorite stars turning a blind eye to the rampant abuse and exploitation that have plagued Hollywood for far too long. It has reignited the conversation about the need for systemic change in an industry. Viewers raised their thoughts via X, arguing that they treated the actor who portrayed Bryce in 13 Reasons Why in the “same” way:
No actor bullying comes close to the guy who played The Last Airbender 2010 tho 😭
— James (@JamesRealex) March 25, 2024
they did the same thing to the actor that played Bryce in 13 reasons why. I will never understand how ppl forget that they’re ACTING
— ً (@tylerduran21) March 25, 2024
Which is crazy because he played that role perfectly. Any actor who can make you genuinely hate the villain is a great actor.
— Uzumak1Pain (@StrawHatUzumak1) March 25, 2024
I never understood this either lol. It’s their job to act out their characters. It’s understandable that families get upset like in the Dahmer series because facts were altered for the show and discredited the victims, but death threats is to far.
— Jordan (@Seroxiiii) March 25, 2024
General rule of thumb: if the actor is playing an evil person on screen, chances are they’re the most lovely people irl
— liam @BlueSky 🦋 (@Fruity_Koala1) March 26, 2024
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul only made $20.7 million at the domestic box office and has an 18% Tomatometer and 30% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
If Wright chooses to pursue acting again, it would be great to see him in a different role, where perhaps the internet will be a little kinder to him than it was when he was unfairly maligned for his role in the 2017 flick.
Stream Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul on Disney Plus.
