EARLIER this week, Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram fearlessly talked about the dark side of the Star Wars fandom that she’s been experiencing. On Instagram, the actress, who plays the antagonist Reva, shared how she’s been receiving hundreds of racist messages and comments since the Disney+ series premiered on May 27.
In her Instagram story, Ingram admits that she wrestled with the idea about going public about the hateful messages she’s been receiving.
“I think the thing that bothers me is this feeling that I’ve had inside of myself – which no one has told me – that I’ve just got to shut up and take it, but I’m not built like that. So I really just wanted to come and say thank you to the people who show up for me in the comments and the places where I’m not going to put myself.
“And to the rest of y’all – y’all are weird.”
Shortly after, the official Star Wars Twitter account posted a personal message from Ewan McGregor, the Obi-Wan Kenobi star, who thanked fans before reprimanding the people who have been sending hateful messages to Ingram.
“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,” he said.
Ingram also revealed to The Independent that Lucasfilm executives specifically cautioned her that she’d likely be the target of online harassment as the studio had witnessed similar events play out with John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, who were both subjected to ugly hate campaigns for being prominent performers of colour in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Lucasfilm released a public statement through Star Wars social media channels firmly standing by Ingram’s side, and even added: “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”
Ahmed Best, who endured his own racist attacks when he played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy, also tweeted about how he’s standing by her in this fight.
Reva Sevander is an Imperial Inquisitor who’s following Obi-Wan’s trail and is the most prominent black female role in the Star Wars universe yet.
