John Boyega has weighed in on the increasing toxicity of Star Wars fandom, asking the trolls to stop harassing the franchise's actors and actresses. Recently, The Last Jedi's Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose alongside Boyega's Finn, erased all of her Instagram posts after enduring months of hateful comments from those who did not like the film or her character. In the aftermath of the incident, several quickly voiced their support for the actress with an outpouring of love and appreciation. Unsurprisingly, Tran's fellow Star Wars family members were among the many who came to her defense.
It was undeniably uplifting to see the Star Wars community band together and go to bat for Tran, but there were those who took credit for forcing the actress off social media, adding it to the list of their "accomplishments" during the property's Disney era. As the growing divide in Star Wars becomes ever more prevalent, it was only a matter of time before Boyega commented on the matter.
Related: Rian Johnson Defends Kelly Marie Tran From Star Wars Trolls
The actor took to Twitter and posted two messages. One was directed towards the trolls, letting them know that harassing people online will get them nowhere. The other was a tip of the hat to the "majority of Star Wars fans" who attempt to be more constructive with their interactions on social media. You can check them out in the space below:
It's no secret The Last Jedi was a lightning rod for controversy when it debuted, splitting viewers down the middle due to Rian Johnson's creative decisions. Nobody is taking issue with the fact that some viewers disliked the film; whenever something as massive as Star Wars is involved, it's impossible to please anyone. People like Boyega and Mark Hamill take issue with how certain people voice their displeasure with the direction of the franchise. As Boyega says, harassing Tran (or anyone else) isn't going to have any effect on the new films. Lucasfilm's directors make the movies they want to make, doing the best they can to block out the outside noise. If J.J. Abrams has a role for Rose in Episode IX, Tran will be there whether she's active on Instagram or not.
As Solo winds down its theatrical run, Star Wars is about to largely be out of the public eye for an extended period of time. Yes, Episode IX is starting production this July, but that film won't release until December 2019. That break between installments should prove to be beneficial for the series, allowing time for tensions to cool down as anticipation mounts for the sequel trilogy finale. There will no doubt still be debates over how Abrams ended the story, but for now, viewers everywhere will enjoy this reprieve.
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Source: John Boyega [2]
