Star Wars has one of the most passionate fanbases in the galaxy. Unfortunately, as social media has become a place for fans to discuss the mythology at length, it has driven away those who are part of the franchise. When The Last Jedi hit theaters in 2017, Rian Johnson’s installment was met with an overwhelming amount of internet hate. It led to the series’ Rose Tico, Kelly Marie Tran, to quit social media for good. It turns out she also confided in therapy too.
Ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Kelly Marie Tran was once again asked about her leave from social media following her debut in The Last Jedi. Here’s what she recently told Good Morning America:
I feel great now. I've been to therapy, which I highly recommend. Also just the transition of what it was like. I was very much someone who was working a day job, struggling to be an actor, and suddenly, I was in Star Wars. I think that sort of transition takes a lot of emotional work, if that makes sense. But I'm in a really good place now. I'm excited for this movie to come out. I'm excited to be working with [director] J.J. Abrams. I'm doing great.
Good for her, we love a positive mental health journey! Kelly Marie Tran turned to therapy after the social media backlash to The Last Jedi, but not only because of some unkind words she received online. Becoming a Star Wars star was a massive emotional upheaval for her. She’d been living her life as a struggling actor with a part time job for quite some time before nabbing the role of Rose Tico. Once all was said and done, it was important for her to take a step back and recognize what happens when you become an overnight star.
Last year, Kelly Marie Tran opened up about her disappearance from social media. She said she started taking the comments to heart and believed the hate was pointed toward her. Tran explained that she was blaming herself and putting their words above her own self worth. It’s great that she shut them down, took control and focused on herself. Goodbye, haters! (Though, one study claimed that 51% of attacks were Russian bots.)
Rian Johnson has dealt with a ton of hate after The Last Jedi too! In his case, he said he won’t leave social media until "it stops being fun". He also recently told CinemaBlend’s podcast ReelBlend that he’s strangely grateful for the negative comments. Johnson said that getting exposed to it allowed him to reevaluate what determines his own self-worth. He learned to care less about their words and find happiness in his work without the need to please others.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will see Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico moving up from being in maintenance to having a bigger role in the Resistance! Catch her when the movie comes to theaters next week on December 20.
