“The Mandalorian” Star, Gina Carano, Fired by Lucasfilm
Image Courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal
Former martial artist and actress in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019 - ) Gina Carano was fired by Lucasfilm after posting on social media comparing the current United States political climate to the experience of Jews during the Holocaust.
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views,” Carano wrote.
This is not the first time Carano has come under fire for something she has posted on social media. Within the previous year, Carano is guilty of posts that mocked mask-wearing during the pandemic and alleged voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Additionally, she also has ridiculed the use of gender pronouns, listing “beep/bop/boop” in her social media bio.
The actress has since apologized to Disney for her social media behavior, but in an official statement released by Lucasfilm, it was stated that she was no longer employed by the company and that they had “no plans for her to be in the future.”
Carano has previously said that she would not back down in the face of the backlash against her. However, recent reports imply that Carano may have engaged in private discussions with Disney regarding her employment. Insider, Daniel Richtman, writes that Carano was likely motivated to do so in the hopes of saving the plans to give her character, Cara Dune, her own spinoff series, but nothing official was confirmed in the wake of the stars’ private apology.
Star Wars fans have been split over this since the news broke of Carano’s firing, with half of the community rejoicing as the other half petitions for Disney to bring her back to the Star Wars franchise. But despite these numerous signatures, Lucasfilms and Disney have remained firm in their decision to fire Carano, without any regard for the backlash or protests.
Since then, the former star has signed a new movie deal with conservative political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro and his media outlet The Daily Wire.
“The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams – to develop and produce my own film – come true,” Carano told Deadline.
“I cried out and my prayer was answered,” Carano said. “I am sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice with is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same.”
Although her firing was entirely due to her controversial social media presence, according to Lucasfilm, fans are still expressing their outrage at the lax reactions from the industry following her actions. No further details have been released regarding her collaboration with Shapiro’s team.
