The Disney Plus series The Acolyte delivered Star Wars fans a story that took place nearly a century before the events of The Phantom Menace. This story was cut short, however, when Disney made the decision to cancel the series. Now The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg is blaming “bigotry, vitriol, prejudice & hated” for the cancellation.
Stenberg played two characters in the series, both Osha and Mae, and she has been quite verbal throughout the show’s run. Of course, now that the series has been canceled, she’s reflecting her thoughts on why it happened. Ultimately, however, she simply was not surprised.
Here’s what she shared and explained that she believes the backlash it received is why Disney ultimately axed the project as shared via her Instagram:
“It’s not a huge shock for me [that it was canceled]. 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. That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language towards us … this really affected me when I first got the job because it’s just not something, even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you.”
However, she did share how grateful she was for the Star Wars universe:
“It has been an incredible honor and dream for me to be in this universe … And I just want to let those people know out there who supported us in that way, and supported us vocally in the face of all of the vitriol that we received, and the kind of the targeted attack I would say we received by the alt-right, just that you were deeply loved and appreciated, and it made this job all the worthwhile for me.”
Stenberg also adds that she’s grateful to the show’s creator, Leslye Headland, and their friendship:
“And I have to thank Lesyle Headland … I just [frick]ing love that bitch … one of the best people in the world … she’s so incredibly talented and unique … I will love this experience with her forever”
The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg comments on the cancelation of the show pic.twitter.com/WwAHwGyscd
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) August 28, 2024
She certainly has some strong feelings regarding the cancellation, though she claims not to be surprised about what happened to The Acolyte. Reactions from fans have been divisive, with some happy to see The Acolyte canceled and others urging Disney Plus to continue the series with petitions.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the Star Wars franchise as we have them. Although The Acolyte has been canceled, it’s possible that we’ll see its story picked up in other projects to tie up the loose ends. As always, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.