Kelly Marie Tran starred in two films of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, as Rose Tico. Her role, along with both films, were largely criticized by fans and critics. Now Kelly Marie Tran has stepped forward to say she “was persecuted” by racist Star Wars fans.
Tran discussed this issue while speaking in a new interview about her current career and how she’s been moving forward following the backlash received by her time working on the Star Wars sequels. According to Tran, she believes “the world” should change to help support actors of color when they appear in major franchises.
Here’s what she shared with Variety:
“It’s interesting how it seems to be happening pretty consistently to actors of color who find themselves in these spaces,” Tran explains. “And I think these occurrences are a microcosm for the social climate that we’re living in. And it’s really unfortunate.”
She further believes that “it’s the system that’s the problem” and that people will change their views:
“We live in a world where those identities have been weaponized so that people are not able to see the bigger picture,” Tran continues. “I really just want people to recognize, it’s the system that’s the problem. Stop scapegoating people of color or queer people or anyone who’s different.”
Ultimately, though, Kelly Marie Tran seems to be finding better experiences where she can create art for “the thing that” she “was persecuted for” by racist Star Wars fans when appearing in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker:
“I’ve been able to learn how to celebrate the parts of myself that, at the time, I was scared of, or I was made to feel like I had to be ashamed of,” Tran shared. “This past year, I did four movies, and they were all Asian stories with Asian writer-directors, and a few of those were also queer writer-directors. I remember looking back and thinking, ‘Wow! How crazy is it the thing that I was persecuted for, I now get to make art about?’”
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any further news regarding the Star Wars franchise and the career of Kelly Marie Tran as we have them.