The Acolyte was canceled, due to low viewership, and yet, the show remains one of the most-talked about recent series. It’s been impossible to separate the fate of the show from the racist backlash that it received and, now Acolyte cast member Jodie Turner-Smith is speaking out. In short, the actress is mincing words, calling out Disney for apparently not standing up for the show and its stars.
Jodie Turner-Smith played Aniseya, the mother of the sisters played by star Amandla Stenberg. The actress recalled being quite excited when Stenberg handed her a literal essay about her character so that the two would be on the same page regarding how she was planning to play the role. Turner-Smith also hyped up Stenberg while speaking with Glamour Magazine, praising the actress' dedication:
I’ve never worked with anybody who’s handed me an essay on their character. The Virgo in me was just like, ‘Yass, I’m living for this!’ She put so much care and thought and love into that, and it’s disappointing to feel like your studio is not having your back in a very public-facing way.
This is far from the first time that a person of color has received a torrent of hate following after cast in a major movie. Disney itself has seen a significant amount of this due to the decision to cast actresses like Halle Bailey and Rachel Zegler as live-action Disney Princesses. It’s happened outside the House of Mouse as well, and Jodie Turner-Smith wishes all studios would use their platforms to support the people going through it, rather than what they frequently do, which is stay silent. She continued…
They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting fucking dog-piled on the internet with racism and bullshit. It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair.
The fact that Disney and Lucasfilm did largely stay quiet during The Acolyte’s issues is interesting because the company hasn’t always remained on the sidelines. Moses Ingram, who was part of the Obi-Wan series cast, received a fair amount of racist backlash as well. However, when that happened The official Star Wars social media accounts spoke out against the hate she was receiving.
Studios are obviously hesitant to wade into issues like this, because it has the potential to impact them financially, which is their ultimate motivation. However, the Queen & Slim star suggests that studios might discover that supporting these stars and standing actively against racism might be the more financially lucrative decision. She explained…
It would just be nice if the people that have all the money were showing their support and putting their feet down. Say this is unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’ Make a really big statement and just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t, because people of colour, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power. They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.
Since there is no indication this sort of behavior will be stopping anytime soon, studios will continue to have to decide how to handle such matters. In the meantime, Disney+ subscription. holders can still stream the sole season of The Acolyte.
