Stephanie Tyler Jones, who portrays Mary Jane Watson in Insomniac’s Spider-Man video games, says she has received harassment from fans, including threatening phone calls to her workplace. She posted a public statement on her social media page asking these fans to stop their behavior.
Jones was the face model of Peter Parker’s famous girlfriend, MJ, for Marvel’s Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 as well as all its ports, spin-offs, and the sequel. Laura Bailey provided the voice for MJ, but Jones’ face was used as the basis for her in-game model. Therefore, Jones has emerged as a well-known figure among Spider-Man fans.
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According to Jones, some fans have stepped out of bounds and called her day job, leaving voicemails that have made her feel “unsafe” and “uncomfortable.”
On January 8, Jones posted a short, public letter on Instagram detailing what happened and asking fans to respect her boundaries and to stop messaging her about MJ and Spider-Man. “I appreciate the love for my role in the Spider-Man games … However I am no longer an actively auditioning actor or model. The shoots I do now are purely a creative outlet for myself and a way to collaborate with friends I love.
“Over the weekend, some followers crossed boundaries,” Jones posted. “One even went to the extent of calling my workplace and leaving multiple voicemails wanting to speak with me and requesting I call back, which is unacceptable and considered stalking.
“I came into work this morning and immediately felt unsafe and uncomfortable hearing those voicemails. Please respect that I am a human being trying to make a living just like you, and I kindly ask for boundaries to not be crossed.”
Because she has moved into the skincare industry, she asked her fans to respect her professional change and avoid messaging her skincare-focused Instagram or her job. “My skincare page is not for Spider-Man or MJ fans,” Jones said. “Bottom line is that I came into work this morning and immediately felt unsafe and uncomfortable hearing those voicemails.”
It concluded with Jones asking fans to “respect that I am a human being trying to make a living just like you” and to “kindly” stop messaging her. “Messages will not be answered,” Jones said. “I will block you if you make me feel uncomfortable and you can unfollow me if this disappoints you.”
According to Kotaku, what happened to Jones was, unfortunately, not an isolated incident among video game communities and fandoms. In the past, there have been multiple cases of developers, voice actors, and others receiving harassing messages and threats simply because players dislike a game or a character.
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