Amandla Stenberg, who played the dual roles of Mae and Osha in the recently cancelled Star Wars series The Acolyte, has finally broken her silence about the fate of the show and the significant backlash she faced. In a series of Instagram Story videos, Stenberg addresses the “hyper-conservative fanaticism and slander” directed towards the show and its cast, acknowledging that the cancellation was not a huge surprise given the intense online harassment.
Stenberg recalls the targeted attacks she faced from critics even before the show premiered. She knew it would happen, but was still shocked that it happened right when the concept was announced. However, due to the outcry, she knew The Acolyte would be a target until its end.
While expressing her sadness over the cancellation of The Acolyte and the inability to provide more content for invested fans, Stenberg also acknowledges the dedication of the show’s fans. She thanks them for their support and fan work she has seen, appreciating those who supported the show and its cast.
“I thought I’d come on here and just be straight up. I hate doing this. I hate doing this, but I’m gonna do it. Honestly, I don’t really frequent social media much anymore, and I’m really happy about that, but there’s a lot of people out there that I want to acknowledge and show appreciation, love, and support, so that’s why I came on here to talk about this, which is our show, our show Star Wars show, has been cancelled. And I’m gonna say, I’m truly transparent, and say that this wasn’t a huge surprise for me.”
Amandla Stenberg
Unfortunately, its ratings couldn’t justify the expensive show, but she had fun outside of the comments and hate for the show. Stenberg thanks the Lucasfilm team, especially Rayne Roberts and Leslye Headland, for their support and positive experience working on it The Acolyte. She also acknowledges the challenges faced by the cast and crew due to online harassment.
Chances are we won’t see The Acolyte return after its cancellation, but we might see the character return elsewhere in the Star Wars media. Despite what many say, the high cost mixed with low ratings is the issue. Disney never cited issues with the actors, plot, online supervision, or storyline. If Disney can find a way to continue the character’s story without spending a lot of money, they will likely do it because their fan base is the dedicated ones.
“Of course, I live in my own little bubble, but for those who aren’t aware, there’s been a whirlwind of slander that we’ve faced since the show was announced, when it was still just a concept, no one had even seen it. That’s when we started experiencing the wrath, in my opinion, of hyper-conservative fanaticism and slander, prejudice, hate, and hate-filled language towards us. It really affected me when I first got the job because it’s not something that even though you anticipate it’s gonna happen, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it happens to you.”
Amandla Stenberg
Stenberg emphasizes the need for critical thinking and questioning of information sources in the highly divisive climate today. She encourages her followers to choose and engage in civic participation to address the underlying issues contributing to the negativity surrounding the show. She enjoyed her time in the role, but the online reactions were uncontrollable.
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