Obi Wan Kenobi Moses Ingram: ‘Don’t Choose To Be A Racist’ – Star Wars Shuts Down Attacks
On Monday, newcomer Moses Ingram revealed the slew of hateful messages she’s received in a series of screenshots shared to her Instagram Story, including threats, racial slurs and dismissive comments.
Then the Obi-Wan Kenobi star, 29, told fans in a video: “Long story short, there are hundreds of those. Hundreds.”
She noted, “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.”
She admitted, “I think the thing that bothers me is that, like, sort of this feeling I’ve had inside of myself — which no one has told me — but this feeling. of, like, I just gotta shut up and take it. I just kinda gotta grin and bear it. And I’m not built like that.”
She summed up, “So I really just wanted to come on, I think, and say thank you to the people who show up for me in the comments and the place that I’m not gonna put myself.”
She added with a laugh, “And to the rest of y’all, y’all weird!”
The official Star Wars account was quick to respond in defense of the franchise’s new cast member.
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. pic.twitter.com/lZW0yvseBk
— Star Wars (@starwars) May 31, 2022
“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,” read the franchise’s official statement.
The message continued, “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time a Star Wars newcomer has received racist messages. Kelly Marie Tran and John Boyega faced similar backlash following their roles in recent films.
Boyega, who starred as lead character Finn starting in 2015’s The Force Awakens, told British Vogue he even felt sidelined by Disney and how they handled his character’s story.
“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
Viewers may recognize Ingram from her role on the Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit, for which she earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Beth’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) fellow orphan friend Jolene.
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ingram portrays the evil Inquisitor Reva. The former Jedi–turned–Jedi hunter — at the order of the ruthless Darth Vader — has her sights set on Obi-Wan and appears to create chaos for the legendary Jedi.
The show, which sees Ewan McGregor return to his Obi-Wan robes for the first time since 2005, has been highly anticipated by fans since its announcement in 2019.
But McGregor, 51, is not the only familiar face who’s returned. Obi-Wan Kenobi also welcomes back Darth Vader himself: Hayden Christensen.
While both actors have played coy about what the series will bring, Christensen, 41, told Entertainment Weekly that the return was as emotional for the stars as it is for the fans. “I can tell you the first time that I saw Ewan as Obi-Wan again, that was a very special moment for me and one that I’ll remember for a very, very long time.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the conclusion of Revenge of the Sith. The first two episodes premiered Friday, and the remaining four will drop every Wednesday on Disney+.