Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor issued a statement defending co-star Moses Ingram after she received an onslaught of racist remarks following the series premiere on Disney+.
In a video shared to the official Star Wars Twitter, McGregor first thanked fans for making Obi-Wan Kenobi the most-watched Disney+ premiere of all time before addressing the racist comments that have been directed at Ingram. "She brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise, and it just sickened me to my stomach to hear that this had been happening," he said. "I just want to say as the leading actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses, 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."
Along with McGregor, Star Wars also came to the defense of Ingram on its social media accounts. "If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist," wrote the franchise's Twitter account. "There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don't choose to be a racist."
McGregor's statement comes after Ingram, who portrays Reva Sevander/the Third Sister in the Disney+ series, shared several screenshots of comments she received on social media since Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered. The comments range from racist attacks to outright death threats. "There's nothing anybody can do about this," Ingram said. "There's nothing anybody can do to stop this hate. I question my purpose in even being here in front of you, saying that this is happening. I don't really know." In a recent interview, Ingram revealed that she had been previously warned by Lucasfilm about the possibility of racist backlash for her role in the series.
"It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, 'This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,'" she said. She also stated that Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow has put "the proper systems in place so I feel safe as we do the work" during production. "Of course, there are always pockets of hate," Ingram continued. "But I have no problem with the block button.”
Franchise stars Kellie Marie Tran and John Boyega have been open about the racist harassment they've received from Star Wars fans during their time in the Skywalker sequel trilogy. Tran, who first appeared as Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and again in The Rise of Skywalker, experienced significant online harassment from fans for her race, gender and appearance. Tran has discussed the toxicity she experienced from the Star Wars fandom and how it impacted her overall mental health, ultimately causing her to leave social media entirely in 2018.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi air every Wednesday on Disney+.
Source: Twitter