Like every other season before, 13 Reasons Why season 3 was a whirlwind. We don't know who killed Bryce Walker until the final episodes, which makes the show's characters pretty much unreliable throughout much of season 3. But a character introduced in season 3 is bent on finding out the truth. Ani Achola, played by actress Grace Saif, is the new girl in school, but that doesn't stop her from embedding herself into all the drama surrounding the students at Liberty High. She's not afraid to ask her peers deep personal questions about the recent traumatic events in their lives and while that definitely moved season 3's storyline along, Ani's meddling nature rubbed some of the show's fans the wrong way.
A lot of them took to Twitter and Instagram to express their strong dislike for Grace's character, Ani, who also becomes the show's new narrator in this season.
It seems like some 13 Reasons Why fans were flooding Ani's accounts with negative comments because she ended up making her Twitter account private and deleting all the photos on her Instagram account.
The backlash surrounding Ani even prompted some of her co-stars to speak out in her favor. Timothy Granaderos, who plays Monty, uploaded a photo to Instagram, asking fans to remember that the show's characters are delivering performances. They are not those people in real life.
"Hey Y’all, just a reminder. Whether or not you support, like, or love, a character in our fictional tv show—please remember that there is a talented and beautiful actor/actress bringing those scripted words to life," he wrote in the caption. "One of the underlining themes in our show is to take care of each other. I’ve seen some pretty nasty things being said online, concerning the introduction of a new character. Y’all are passionate & we love you for that, but PLEASE PLEASE try to be kind and respect the work of the talented actress/actor behind the character."
Anne Winters, who plays Chloe Rice, also spoke out in Grace's defense. Anne said Grace's character, Ani, is essential to the show's storyline this season.
"I think her role was very important this season, because, you know, you need someone that has the other side of Bryce,” Anne told People. “And we wouldn’t have really gotten to see that unless there was some sort of new character that was living with him. That had to be… that’s vital to the story to see."
Anne also spoke positively of Grace. "And Ani is amazing, Grace who plays Ani is like the sweetest girl ever. I really loved her character this season," she said. Anne admitted that though she hasn't spoken to Grace since the season premiered, she hopes Grace is holding up well.
Anne also told People that she no idea what the writers will do for the show's final season, though she has a hunch it will have to do with the characters moving on.
"I mean, this is their senior year, so everyone is getting ready for college,” Anne said. “They have gone through so much, like this class has gone through so many things. I think this season, it’s going to be about really accepting that high school is hard, and really just accepting life and moving on.”
Jasmine Gomez is the Commerce Editor at Women’s Health, where she cover the best product recommendations across beauty, health, lifestyle, fitness, and more. When she's not shopping for a living, she enjoys karaoke and dining out more than she cares to admit. Follow her @JazzeGomez.
