Amandla Stenberg, who starred in The Acolyte , took to social media on Wednesday to address the since-cancelled Stars Wars series on Disney+.
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In the series, Stenberg played separated twins Osha and Mae, while Lee Jung-jae played her former Jedi Master who reunites with Osha to investigate a series of crimes that begin to reveal a darker truth. The cast also included Charlie Barnett, Carrie-Anne Moss, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, and Dafne Keen.
Prior to its release, many fans mocked Stenberg’s casting and accused Disney of giving in to a “woke” audience by featuring multiple people of color in the cast. Online fans also criticized reports that the Star Wars series would include queer characters, including a coven of witches. Then, less than three months after releasing its first season in June, Deadline reported that Disney canceled the show.
“There are many folks out there that I want to acknowledge and I want to show appreciation and love and support for, so that’s why I’m hopping on here to talk about this, which is that our Star Wars show has been canceled,” Stenberg said in her video posted on Instagram Live.
“I’m going to be transparent and say it’s not a huge shock for me,” Stenberg continued. “There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it. That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language towards us.”
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The star said that while the toxicity online “really affected me when I first got the job,” she feels like she’s “moved through those feelings in various ways, including being vocal about it myself.” She explained, “It just became inarguable for me, at a certain point, that in order to continue to be myself, I would have to honor my value system by being vocal even in the context of working for Disney.”
“It has been an incredible honor and dream for me to be in this universe,” said Stenberg. “I just want to let those people know out there who supported us in that way, and supported us vocally — despite and in the face of all of the vitriol that we received and the kind of the targeted attack, I would say, we received by the alt-right — just that you were deeply loved and appreciated.” She added: “It made this job all the worthwhile for me.”
In a Rolling Stone commentary, writer CT Jones addressed the “backlash of racism, sexism, and online abuse” that “seems consistent across all Star Wars projects — most heavily targeted at leads of color.”
“The Star Wars fans clamoring for a return to the originals aren’t just talking nonsense, they’re ruining their chances to see the franchise they love grow in any meaningful way,” wrote Jones. “ Star Wars is about a galaxy filled with endless choices, battles, and people trying to make a difference. The fans who are loudest at the moment aren’t just willfully ignoring Lucas’ original vision. They’re making their own worlds smaller in the process.”
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