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Star Wars’ Jodie Turner-Smith criticises Disney’s “unfair” response to social media abuse

BBG News

As a gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen it all – from groundbreaking narratives to disappointing cancellations. The saga surrounding “The Acolyte” is one that stirs both my passion for gaming and my concern for the state of representation in our beloved industry.

Jodie Turner-Smith criticizes Disney for not addressing the racist harassment directed towards the main actress of The Acolyte, Amandla Stenberg.

The axed Star Wars series sees Stenberg in the double role of twin sisters Osha and Mae, with Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae featuring as Master Jedi Sol and Turner-Smith appearing in flashbacks as coven leader witch, Mother Aniseya.

In a recent interview, Smith expressed his thoughts on Disney’s response to offensive remarks aimed at the cast on social media and the subsequent negative reviews bombarding the show on aggregator sites.

She expressed to Glamour that they need to cease their behavior of remaining silent when individuals are being attacked online with racism and nonsense.

“It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair.”

She went on, expressing her hope that those with substantial wealth would demonstrate their backing and take firm action, much like Disney and other major media companies standing up against online bullies.

“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 colour, 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.”

Speaking about some Star Wars fans feeling discontented over a diverse cast, Turner-Smith expresses optimism that narrow-minded perspectives will broaden in time.

People’s viewpoints evolve, and what’s popular tends to shift as well. Eventually, we will reach a stage where the resistance towards including people of color in intellectual properties initially created by whites will diminish,” she expressed.

“You know why? Because we’re never going to f**king stop participating.”

Digital Spy has reached out to Disney for comment.

The Acolyte has its first season available to stream in full on Disney+.

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2024-10-10 00:18

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