The producers of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest instalment of the Star Wars franchise, have responded swiftly in the face of online racism faced by one of their actors.
Moses Ingram, who plays the central antagonist in the new spin-off series, revealed she has received hundreds of vituperative messages since the show debuted on May 27.
'There's nothing anybody can do about this'
She said she had questioned whether to share the toxic material, but that in the end she is "not built" to stay silent on such issues.
In a devastating reflection, Ingram questioned what action could be taken in light of such vitriol.
"Long story short there are hundreds of those [messages]..." she wrote.
"I also see those of you out there who put on a cape for me and that really does mean the world to me because you know, there's nothing anybody can do about this.
"There's nothing anybody can do to stop this hate."
However, since the pushback from the executive, Ingram and fans themselves, the actor said she has been flooded with messages of support and positivity.
"The love is louder," she wrote in a recent story.
"It overflows. Thank you."
'Sickened me to my stomach', says McGregor
The Walt Disney Company, which owns the franchise, and executive producer and fellow star Ewan McGregor both condemned the abuse.
"Moses is a brilliant actor, she's a brilliant woman and she's absolutely amazing in this series," he said in a video.
"She brings so much to the series and so much to the franchise and it just sickened me to my stomach to hear that this had been happening."
The Star Wars social media channels similarly praised Ingram's appearance in the show and said any negativity was not welcomed.
"We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva's story to unfold," read a Twitter post.
"There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don't choose to be a racist."
Franchise no stranger to racism
John Boyega at the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. He faced similar racism for his appearance in the franchise. Source: Getty
British actor John Boyega, who had a starring role in the revamped movie series, revealed his frustrations in a 2020 interview discussing the racism he faced.
"Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying 'Black this and Black that and you shouldn't be a Stormtrooper.' Nobody else had that experience," he told GQ Magazine.
Boyega went viral in June of the same year when he made an emotional and impassioned speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in London.
He later admitted to harbouring concerns the video would negatively impact his career.
