Amandla Stenberg, one of the lead actresses in Disney’s Star Wars: The Acolyte, has blamed “bigotry” from conservatives for the cancellation of the spin-off series after just one season.
Stenberg, who played the roles of twin sisters Verosha “Osha” and Mae-ho “Mae” Anisey, shared her thoughts on Instagram about why the show was axed.
She explained:
“It’s not a huge shock for me. 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 announced—when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it.”
She continued, “That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language toward us. And you know, this really affected me when I first got the job because, even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you.”
Stenberg, who has previously expressed that she creates films with the intent of provoking strong emotional reactions, particularly from white audiences, seems to attribute the show’s failure to conservative backlash against its progressive themes, such as featuring lesbian space witches. However, the reality is that the show struggled to connect with audiences.
While The Acolyte received generally positive reviews from left-leaning critics, it garnered a dismal 28 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that the majority of viewers were dissatisfied with the show.
The cancellation raises questions about Disney’s approach to the Star Wars franchise, which it acquired for $4 billion in 2012. Based on past experiences, it appears unlikely that Disney will change its course.
