Jodie Turner-Smith, who played a role in the canceled Star Wars series “The Acolyte”, publicly disagreed with Disney for staying quiet about online harassment against the show’s cast. Turner-Smith acted as Mother Aniseya in the series. She expressed frustration that Disney did not speak out against racist and mean comments aimed at the cast, especially her co-star Amandla Stenberg.
In a recent interview with Glamour Magazine, Turner-Smith stated, “Disney needs to stop being silent when people are aggressively attacked online with racism and abuse. It’s just not fair to say nothing. It’s really unfair.” Some fans accused “The Acolyte” of having a “woke” message, even before it was canceled. The show, set in the early years of the Star Wars universe, was ended by Lucasfilm after one season due to low viewership and mixed reviews. However, Disney did not comment on harassment of the cast during this time.
Turner-Smith wants Disney to take a stronger position against bad behavior online. “It would be good if the people with money at Disney supported us and clearly said this type of thing is unacceptable,” she said. “They should tell those who do this that they are not real fans. Disney needs to strongly state that racism has no place as a Star Wars fan.” The actress also noted that defense of diverse casts and opposing racism could help Disney financially. “I doubt it would lose money. Racial minorities, especially African Americans, have significant purchasing power. Disney may find representation leads to more profit, though some use ‘woke’ in a negative way,” Turner-Smith added.
Similar cases have happened before to Star Wars performers of color, like John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran. While some individual actors have spoken out against racist fans, Disney and Lucasfilm have faced criticism for not making official statements themselves. Plans were in place for a second season of “The Acolyte”, created by Leslye Headland and starring Amandla Stenberg as the lead along with Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and Carrie-Anne Moss. It explored the early days of the dark side of the Force in the High Republic era.
As debate continues around online fan behavior and corporate responses, Turner-Smith’s comments have reignited discussion over the duty of major companies to protect cast members from abuse, as well as representation’s broader role in popular franchises.
