Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram recently revealed that Lucasfilm warned her about racist Star Wars hate. Ingram stars in the highly anticipated Star Wars television series Obi-Wan Kenobi as Reva the Third Sister of the Inquisitorius, an order of Sith warriors tasked by Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine to hunt down and destroy any remaining Jedi following their purge in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. Reva's main target is Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), a former Jedi Master who lives in exile on the desert planet of Tatooine as he watches over a young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely) from afar.
The massively popular science-fiction/fantasy franchise has had its fair share of fan toxicity. With the release of Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens' first teaser trailer, the vile corners of social media criticized the movie for its female lead Rey (Daisy Ridley) and black stormtrooper FN-2187/Finn (John Boyega). The abuse continued into the following film, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi. The franchise's first Asian lead, Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico, was harassed online, pressuring her to shut down her social media accounts.
Speaking with The Independent, Ingram revealed that Star Wars' parent company, Lucasfilm, warned her about racist hate from alleged fans online. According to the actor, the company preemptively informed her of potential harassment and took steps to minimize its effect on her. Read what Ingram said below.
"It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, 'This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens.'"
"Of course there are always pockets of hate. But I have no problem with the block button."
Ingram also singled out series director Deborah Chow as someone who set up an environment that would allow the actor to feel safe while working. Following Chow's two episodes on The Mandalorian season 1, she was hired to direct all six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Although Chow and Lucasfilm apparently went to great lengths to ensure their actors' protection from social media's well-known toxicity regarding their franchise, Ingram appears relatively resilient in the face of the inevitable backlash.
Although viral hate has been rampant and heavily publicized in recent years, Star Wars vitriol is nothing new for the long-running franchise. The original actors for Jar-Jar Binks and Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, Ahmed Best and child actor Jake Lloyd, respectively, both suffered personal attacks from fans over the years. However, time has been kind to the Star Wars prequels, with the previously maligned films receiving a renewed appreciation among some fans. Regardless of any potential hate thrown toward Ingram, if the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi trailers are any indication of what audiences can expect from her performance, then fans will surely be pleased when the show debuts on Disney+ on May 27.
Source: The Independent
