Actress Anna Samson has revealed how she faced brutal online harassment after being cast in an Australian soap, with trolls branding her "vile" and "ugly" on social media platforms.
The 35-year-old actress, who currently stars as the abrasive detective Mackenzie Clarke in the BBC's Return To Paradise, experienced the vicious attacks in 2021 when she joined the cast of Home And Away as Mia Anderson.
The Australian spin-off of Death In Paradise has achieved remarkable success despite featuring a deliberately unlikeable protagonist, departing from the original show's tradition of endearing detectives.
"She doesn't have to be palatable or pleasant or small or sweet to be lovable, and audiences have taken to her," Ms Samson explained about her character.
Anna Samson received nasty comments during her Home and Away stint
|BBC
The online abuse emerged when Ms Samson joined the popular Australian soap opera as character Mia Anderson, triggering a wave of personal attacks focused on her physical appearance.
Social media users subjected her to cruel commentary about her looks, prompting the actress to issue a public response addressing the harassment.
The incident highlighted the persistent issue of appearance-based trolling that female performers face in the entertainment industry.
Ms Samson's experience reflects a broader pattern of online abuse directed at women in television, where anonymous users feel emboldened to make harsh judgements about actors' physical attributes.
Anna Samson is starring in Return to Paradise
|BBC
The severity of the attacks led her to speak out against what she described as a dangerous cultural phenomenon affecting women in the public eye.
The actress released a powerful statement condemning those responsible for the harassment, addressing what she identified as a widespread cultural problem.
"People still feel they have the right to shame, comment on and harass women about their appearance," her statement read.
She characterised the behaviour as contributing to "a culture of cowardice, cruelly commenting on our weight loss or gain, our faces, our choices, our voices."
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Anna Samson opened up about vile trolling
|BBC
Ms Samson warned that such actions were "guilty of contributing to a very dangerous culture" that systematically targets women.
The decision to speak publicly wasn't taken lightly, with the actress acknowledging that addressing controversial topics requires careful consideration.
Her statement highlighted how anonymous online commentary creates an environment where women face constant scrutiny and judgement about their physical appearance and personal choices.
The role of detective Mackenzie Clarke has provided Samson with a liberating experience, particularly regarding physical appearance.
"Not caring what I physically look like as Mackenzie is a wonderful release, because she doesn't worry about how she looks," she revealed.
The actress, who was born in England and spent her childhood in Nigeria before moving to Sydney, maintains an unusual lifestyle choice for someone in television - she doesn't own a TV set.
Anna Samson has joined the cast of Return to Paradise
|BBC
"I'm a bit of a nerd. It's weird to be on TV and not own a TV. But I think it's nice," she admitted.
Samson believes her character demonstrates that female protagonists don't need to conform to traditional expectations of likeability to succeed in central television roles.
"I think that proves women don't have to be all these things to be in a central role on TV," she stated.