Amandla Stenberg SaysThe Acolyte's Cancellation Was 'Not a Huge Shock' AfterStar WarsFandom's 'Hatred' and 'Prejudice'

Mar. 15, 2025

Amandla Stenberg.Photo:Lucasfilm Ltd.

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Amandla Stenbergis sharing her honest reaction toThe Acolyte’s cancellation.

In a series ofInstagram Stories, the actress, 25, opened up about the Disney+ series coming to an end after just one season. Stenberg explained that although she is sad the show won’t be returning, she isn’t surprised.

“I’m going to be transparent and say it’s not a huge shock for me,” she admitted. “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.”

Immediately after its release,The Acolytefaced backlash for its diverse casting of women leads and people of color. Acknowledging that from the beginning, she felt hate from certain areas of theStar Warsuniversefanbase, Stenberg said she wanted to continue to speak out.

“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,” she said. “However, I feel like I’ve kind of moved through those feelings in various ways, including being vocal about it myself.”

Amandla Stenberg.Lucasfilm Ltd.

Despite the online attacks, Stenberg said she was grateful for being able to play a role in the short-lived show,adding that it was “an incredible honor” and always a “dream for me to be in this universe.”

Amandla Stenberg.Mike Marsland/WireImage

Mike Marsland/WireImage

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, toldThe New York Timesin May that she was proud of the series, noting that  “storytelling does need to be representative of all people.” She revealed that writer and director Leslye Headland struggled with backlash, especially as the first woman to create a television series for aStar Warsspinoff.

“I think a lot of the women who step intoStar Warsstruggle with this a bit more," Kennedy told the outlet. “Because of the fan base being so male-dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”

source: people.com