Jodie Turner-Smith is criticizing Disney for its silence in response to the racist trolling she and other cast members of color from The Acolyte faced.
The British-born actress, who portrayed Mother Aniseya in Disney’s The Acolyte, opened up about the racism and hostility she and her fellow co-stars of color faced during their time on the short-lived Star Wars series. Turner-Smith emphasized that enduring the backlash was difficult enough, but Disney’s alleged silence on the matter made it even harder.
“They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f—ing dog-piled on the internet with racism and bulls—,” she told
Glamour UK. “It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair.”
“It would just be nice if the people that have all the money -– whether that be Disney or any studio –- were showing their support and putting their feet down,” Turner-Smith added. “Say this is unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’”
The Queen & Slim star believes that if Disney decided to “make a really big statement” against the racist trolling, it wouldn’t have impacted them financially, as true fans would remain loyal, and Black consumers hold significant spending power worldwide.
“Just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t because people of color, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power,” Turner-Smith declared.
“They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.”
The actress, who shares her 4-year-old daughter, Juno Rose Diana, with actor Joshua Jackson, voiced her strong belief that change is on the horizon, where racism will become a relic of the past.
“Opinions change. What’s in vogue changes. We’re gonna get there at some point, to that place where people
stop having a stick up their arse about people of color being a part of IPs that were created by white people. You know why?” she asks. “Because we’re never going to f%$king stop participating.”Sci-fi and cult classic genres frequently face racist backlash rooted in outdated perceptions of what these stories should look like. For actors of color, the spotlight can be especially unforgiving. Performers like Turner-Smith endure racist attacks simply for being present in the space, and when ratings of fan-favorite shows and films don’t meet expectations, the performers of color are often unfairly blamed.
“We don’t get to fail
upwards like a lot of white men,” she says. “I just feel that some people are allowed to grow, and others have to be perfect, and if they’re not perfect –- even when it’s great –- people want to f*%king tear it apart.”RELATED CONTENT: Queen & Slim Actress Jodie Turner-Smith Calls It Quits With Husband Joshua Jackson After Three Years