Ewan McGregor has spoken out about the racism directed at his Obi-Wan Kenobi co-star Moses Ingram on social media, telling viewers “If you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan”.
His comments came in a video uploaded to the official Star Wars Twitter account, shortly after Ingram had revealed she’d been targeted with “hundreds” of racist messages since the show debuted last week.
“This weekend, Star Wars fans made Obi-Wan Kenobi the most-watched Disney Plus original series premiere of all time – and for that, I would say a big thank you,” McGregor began. “It just goes to show what this family can do when we all pull together.
“However, it seems that some of the fanbase – from this individual fanbase – have decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs. And I heard some of them this morning and it just broke my heart.”
He added: “Moses is a brilliant actor, she’s a brilliant woman and she’s absolutely amazing in this series – she brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise, and it just sickens me to my stomach to hear that this has been happening.
“I just want to say as the leading actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses, we love Moses, and if you’re sending her bullying messages you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind. There’s no place for racism in this world and I totally stand with Moses.”
A personal message from Ewan McGregor. pic.twitter.com/rJSDmj663K
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 1, 2022
The Queen’s Gambit star Ingram – who plays the Third Sister, Reva Sevander on the show – had shared some examples of the abusive messages she’s received on Instagram earlier in the week, writing that “There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate.”
Prior to McGregor’s message, the Star Wars Twitter account had released a statement condemning the abuse and telling fans: “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”
Star Wars alumni John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran have both also received similar racist abuse online in the past, with Tran deleting her social media accounts in response.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series continues on Disney Plus on Wednesdays at 8am GMT. You can sign up to Disney Plus now for £79.90 for a year or £7.99 a month. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sci-Fi hub.
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