The Acolyte will end its run on Disney+ after a single season following a heavy amount of backlash leveled against the series, some of which had been cruelly directed towards the actors. It was rough at times for series star Amandla Stenberg to experience, but she now has the support of another franchise star who knows a thing or two about the toxic side of the Star Wars fandom.
In a post on Instagram, Best shared a poster of The Acolyte featuring Stenberg, who starred in the series with her dual roles as Osha and Mae. Best added in the caption, “I will always stand in solidarity for artists who give 110% to their work and art. Keep shining queen [Amandla Stenberg].” In the comments, Stenberg responded by saying, “Awwww for love and light.”
Best is well known for playing the role of Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. When the character was first introduced, he was met with heavy criticism from fans, and that took an emotional toll on the actor. Best has since returned to the franchise with his role as Kelleran Beq, which includes a key appearance in the third season of The Mandalorian.
Best coming to the Acolyte star’s corner comes after Stenberg recently shared a video on social media to address the Star Wars series ending. She explained that she wasn’t surprised when she heard that The Acolyte wasn’t moving forward with a second season, considering how much “vitriol” had been directed at the show from the start. While Stenberg said she eventually found out how to better navigate the toxicity, she admitted that it was difficult to deal with when it first started happening.
Amandla Stenberg Wasn’t Shocked by the News
“There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it. That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us,” she said. “This really affected me when I first got the job. Because it’s just not something — even though I anticipated it happening — it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you. However, I feel like I’ve kind of moved through those feelings in various ways, including being vocal about it myself.”
There are fans who’ve continued to support The Acolyte after the show was canceled. A social media campaign is pushing for a renewal with hashtags like #SaveTheAcolyte. A petition has also been launched on Change.org to save the show, and as of now, it’s acquired over 61,000 signatures.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.