Star Wars: The Acolyte actress Jodie Turner-Smith isn’t happy with how Disney handled things when some of the show’s cast members were attacked online by racist people Star Wars fans.
During a recent interview with Glamour, Turner-Smith criticized Disney for not doing more to protect the cast and crew from “racism, bullshit” and “dogpiling.” She is annoyed that Disney is not saying anything and “putting their feet on the ground.”
The actress said: “They need to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are being heaped on the internet with racism and bullshit. “It’s just not right to not say anything. It’s really unfair.”
He continued, “It would just be nice if the people who have all the money would show their support and put their foot down. To say that’s unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’
“Make a really big statement and see if there’s any money left. I bet it won’t, because people of color, and especially black people, make up a very large percentage of purchasing power. They might find that it’s actually more profitable for them, but everyone uses ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.”
He hopes that things will change in the future, stressing that “opinions change.” He added: “At some point we’re going to get there, to that point where people stop taking the piss out of the fact that people of color are part of IP created by white people.
“We can’t fail upwards like a lot of white men. I just feel like some people are allowed to grow up and some people have to be perfect, and if they’re not perfect, even when it’s great, people want f*****g, tear it to pieces.”
She definitely didn’t hold back on how she really felt about the situation she and her cast found themselves in. There’s no doubt that her comments will trigger an emotional response from fans who both agree with her and disagree.
Disney canceled The Acolyte after just one season. It was assumed that the negative backlash would have Star Wars the community contributed to the decision to cancel the show, but according to industry insiders, it was canceled because it simply didn’t have enough audiences for Disney to want to continue pumping money into the show.
Hollywood is well aware of the toxic fandom out there and is trying to find a way to combat it. I recently wrote an article about this and what studios are trying to do to help. But none of the things mentioned are what Turner-Smith suggests.
While they’re doing plenty of things to prepare talent for the onslaught of toxic fandom, studios are trying to balance the need to respect fan devotion with the responsibility to protect the creators and stars behind these projects. So, calling out fans for their behavior is something they are reluctant to do.
Do you have any thoughts on what studios should do in response to toxic fandom?
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
