It's no secret that the Star Wars fandom can sometimes be toxic. For an unfortunate example, following the cancelation of The Acolyte , there was a ton of horrific trolling towards the series and its cast. Naomi Ackie, known for her role as Jannah in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , recently opened up about her experience with racism and the intense pressure of social media after joining one of the most iconic franchises in cinema history.
The rising young star shared candid details about how the fear of facing racism influenced her decision to delete her social media accounts. As a Black actress in the Star Wars universe, she was aware of the racist backlash that previous actors of color, like John Boyega , had faced. Wanting to protect her mental health, Ackie chose to stay off social media when her role was announced, hoping to avoid a similar experience.
In a recent interview with THR , she explained that she didn’t want to give toxic fans any opportunity to attack her, stating: I had heard that anyone of color would get wrapped up in some racist shit. I didn’t want to have a place for them to come with their comments. Despite her initial decision to avoid social media, Ackie eventually found herself drawn back by the pressure to maintain an online presence, especially with the release of such a massive project as The Rise of Skywalker .
She returned to social media at the urging of Disney, who facilitated her verification and quickly boosted her follower count. Ini.