THE ACOLYTE was a disaster for the Star Wars franchise, and fans can be cruel at times. The series was bashed for being too “woke” for the taste of the consumers. And while there were certain elements that justified the sentiment, the constant mob that surrounds the project with pitchforks and torches is a bit too much. But the fact is, the anger is in fact off the actual target.
The actors are the faces of the movies or TV shows. Thus, the positives and the negatives are thrown at them indiscriminately. However, the actors are not always the reasons behind the performance of the project.
The cases of studio interference are common, and Disney is no saint. The DEI models that are being criticized are in fact a Disney parameter these days; thus, the actors getting backlashed just for getting to work on these projects are not the ones to be blamed.
But then again, it should be Disney’s job to stand up for what it set up its actors into. And Disney has a notorious record of abandoning its people. In a recent interview, Jodie Turner Smith spoke up about this exact issue. “It would be nice if the people that have all the money were showing their support and putting their feet down.” Turner said. She added, “Everyone’s using woke’ like it’s a dirty word.” Defending herself for her role in THE ACOLYTE.
As much as Disney loves a DEI catering project, it always fails to stand by the same people of color it tries to provide a representation to in its movies. Prior to this, the Snow White movie saw a similar crash out when Rachel Ziegler was being scrutinized for the same “woke-ism.” In response, Disney fired Ziegler, and although some might say that somewhere it was Rachel’s own cockiness that got her into trouble, the studio was supposed to be stern about the support, which it clearly did not.
The hypocrisy of Disney in matters like these cost the people their credibility in the industry. While the company continues to roll in billions, stars like Ziegler and Turner have suffered immense hate on social media, which they are still not able to recover from. While no one wants to watch an agenda-driven hollow story, one must understand the executive decisions rest in the hands of the corporation.