Ewan McGregor shared a personal message on the official “Star Wars” social media page to slam so-called “Star Wars” fans for attacking “Obi-Wan Kenobi” star Moses Ingram online. McGregor addressed the racist messages Ingram has been sent since the Disney+ series premiered May 27. “It seems that some of the fan base has decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist [direct messages]. I heard some of them this morning and it just broke my heart,” McGregor said in a Twitter video. “Moses is a brilliant actor, she’s a brilliant woman, and she’s absolutely amazing in this series…I just want to say as the leading actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses.” McGregor added, “We love Moses, and if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no ‘Star Wars’ fan in my mind. There’s no place for racism in this world.”
Ingram, who plays Sith Inquisitor Reva Sevander on the series, shared a sample of the hateful DMs and comments she has received over the weekend, with threats that her days are “numbered” and calling her a “diversity hire” for the “Star Wars” universe. “Long story short, there are hundreds of those. Hundreds,” Ingram said in an Instagram video uploaded May 31 after screenshotting messages that threatened her and called her racial slurs. “And 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. And so I question my purposes even being here in front of you saying that this is happening.” The official “Star Wars” page later issued a statement: “We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the ‘Star Wars’ family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.” The page added, “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.” Ingram previously acknowledged that Lucasfilm “actually got in front” of the anticipated racism, after similar incidents with John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran. Casting executives told her, “‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,’” Ingram said earlier this month. “Of course, there are always pockets of hate, but I have no problem with the block button.”
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 1, 2022 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
