The actress, who starred in the canceled Star Wars series, has spoken out against the media company in hopes they will begin standing up for their actors.
Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Koril (Margarita Levieva) on "Acolyte.
- The Wrap reports that Jodie Turner-Smith has spoken out against Disney after their lack of response to the racism she experienced online.
- Turner-Smith, who played Aniseya in Star Wars: The Acolyte, shared with Glamour UK “It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair… They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f–king dog-piled on the Internet with racism and bulls–t.”
- Co-star Amandla Stenberg posted a video online detailing the racism and bigotry she experienced, admitting the words she was subjected to weren’t surprising. She shared that the online hatred began when the show was announced, prompting online rage over her and Turner-Smith’s casting.
- Despite rating success, Disney canceled the series.
- This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Star Wars actress ripped apart online. After the premiere of The Last Jedi, actress Kelly Marie Tran experienced a flood of online hate that prompted the actress to leave the public eye. With endless comments focused around the actress’s appearance and ethnicity, Tran deleted her social media presence entirely. Additionally, her character “Rose” was significantly scaled back in The Rise of Skywalker.
- In hopes of Disney standing up for their actors, Turner-Smith suggests “Say this is unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’ Make a really big statement and just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t, because people of color, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power. They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.”
- I think we can all agree that the aggressive criticism prevalent in the Star Wars community has perpetuated very toxic mindsets. Star Wars is a universe where everyone should be free to exist, especially with how predominantly the series addresses systemic oppression and corruption.
- You can stream The Acolyte exclusively on Disney+.
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