Addison Rae hits back at criticism over acting debut in ‘He’s All That’

Addison Rae Easterling is making the shift from TikTok star to actress — but not everyone is enthused about her upcoming starring role in a remake of a 90’s classic.

Addison Rae is one of the most popular faces on TikTok right now. Boasting over 80 million followers, the influencer has also launched her own makeup line, appeared on The Tonight Show and is even starring in the upcoming film ‘He’s All That.’

While the flick has been waiting in the wings for some time, Netflix bought out the movie in a $20 million deal earlier this year. Fans got a peek at a short trailer for the modern take on ‘She’s All That’ this past week… but it doesn’t look like critics are here for Rae’s acting skills.

Much of the criticism surrounding Rae’s presence in the film stems from the fact that she got her start as a TikToker and isn’t a trained actress — criticisms somewhat similar to her “stint” as a UFC reporter earlier this month, where critics claimed she was “stealing jobs” from qualified broadcasters.

Rae hit back at the criticism in an interview with Elle, stating that, while fans mostly only see short clips of her on TikTok, she’s always had a dream of breaking into the acting and music industries.

• Read More: How to watch Addison Rae in ‘He’s All That’

“In this industry, when you come in and get labeled as one thing, people like to keep you there,” she explained. “What people don’t realize is I’ve always wanted to do acting, I’ve always wanted to do music. I’ve always wanted to do all these other things that they didn’t really get to see or know, because I just started being known when I was 19 years old.”

“I try to tell myself, ‘You have to work that much harder to get people to take you seriously,” she added.

Rae certainly isn’t the only influencer in this proverbial boat; YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Jake Paul is also experiencing a similar situation concerning his stint in the world of combat sports, even getting into a tiff with rapper Blueface over the issue.

While Addison has expressed nervousness over her upcoming feature film in the past, only time (and movie critics) will tell if her performance ends up being a hit or a flop come August 27.