Amandla Stenberg, star of “The Acolyte,” talked about the cancellation of the Star Wars series on Disney+.
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Through her Instagram stories, she revealed that while it wasn’t a huge surprise to her, the show faced a wave of aggressive and prejudiced criticism since its announcement, particularly aimed at the diversity of the cast.
“I’ll be very transparent and say that it wasn’t a big surprise to me. For those who aren’t aware, we faced a very harsh wave of criticism since the show was announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had seen anything. That’s when we started to face a wave of, I would say, hyper-conservative intolerance and vitriolic, prejudiced hate speech directed at us. It really hit me when I started the job, even though I had predicted it would happen, it’s not something you can fully understand until it happens to you.”
The series, which received a mixed reception, left a pending storyline that promised the introduction of Darth Plagueis, a popular character among fans. Amandla expressed sadness over the cancellation but also gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the project, highlighting the support she received from some fans amid the hostility.
“It was an honor and an incredible dream for me to be in this universe… And I just want those people who supported us in this way, and who supported us vocally in the face of all the hate and the kind of targeted attacks that I would say we received from the far right, to know that you were deeply loved and appreciated, and it made this work worthwhile for me.”
The cancellation of “The Acolyte” sparked a flood of negative comments on her social media, with some people celebrating the decision and accusing the show of being “woke.” However, other fans defended Stenberg and the series, offering support to the actress. Amandla also received words of support from John Boyega and other members of the franchise, who have also faced racist backlash in the past.
“The Acolyte” was created by Leslye Headland and was set 100 years before the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (“The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith”). Additionally, the series was the first in the franchise to be made by a woman.
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Source: USA Today | Images: Instagram @amandlastenberg // X @CultureCrave | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Amandla Stenberg speaks on #TheAcolyte getting canceled
“It’s not a huge shock for me [that it was canceled]. Of course, I live in the bubble of my own reality but for those who aren’t aware there has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even… pic.twitter.com/sk7U8GFq7U
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) August 28, 2024
