Jodie Turner-Smith recently spoke out about Disney’s lack of public support for her The Acolyte co-star, Amandla Stenberg, following the backlash they faced after being cast in the series. Turner-Smith, who plays the coven leader Mother Aniseya, criticized Disney in a recent interview, saying the studio should do more to defend its stars from the wave of racism and online hate.
“They need to stop staying silent when their actors are being attacked with racism and other disgusting comments online,” she said. “It’s just not fair to leave them on their own like that.”
Turner-Smith believes Disney should make a stronger statement. “They have the power and the money to stand up and say, ‘This is unacceptable. You’re not a fan if you behave like this.’ And see what happens. I doubt they’d lose any revenue because people of color, especially Black people, make up a huge part of the buying audience.”
The actress’s frustration follows years of similar experiences for other Star Wars actors of color, like John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, and Moses Ingram, who have all spoken publicly about the racism they’ve faced from fans. While Disney issued a statement supporting Ingram in 2022, many believe the studio needs to do more to actively protect and defend its talent.
From the start, The Acolyte was praised for being one of the most diverse live-action Star Wars projects to date. But unfortunately, the series faced backlash and was canceled after just one season. Stenberg, who identifies as non-binary and uses she/they pronouns, shared how difficult the experience was. “When I first got the job, I expected some pushback, but it’s not something you fully understand until it happens to you,” they said.
Despite the disappointment, Turner-Smith remains optimistic about the future. “Things are changing. What’s popular changes. We’ll get to a point where people stop getting so worked up about seeing people of color in roles traditionally played by white actors,” she said. “Because we’re not going anywhere—we’re going to keep showing up.”