'The Last Jedi’ Actress Kelly Marie Tran Deletes Instagram Posts Because Of Toxic ‘Star Wars’ Fans
The wrath of the Star Wars fan-base strikes again as actress Kelly Marie Tran quits Instagram. The actress is a victim of online abuse.
Taking A Break
Tran, who played Rose in The Last Jedi, left Instagram following months of extensive online abuse from fans angry about her inclusion in the hit franchise.
Although the actress has not made a public statement about the situation, her Instagram page has been completely cleared of all posts. Tran also changed her bio to a pointed message, which tells visitors she's afraid, but continuing on.
The actress, 29, suffered harassment similar to that of Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones, and fellow Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley, both of whom quit social media as a result of intense, sustained abuse from so-called fans of the movie franchises of which they are a part of.
Tran, who had a hugely positive online presence, was publicly very proud of her role, and even broke down in tears on the Last Jedi red carpet upon spotting producer Ram Berman. She thanked him repeatedly for the opportunity.
The Toxic Heart Of The Fandom
Director Rian Johnson responded to Tran's decision to leave and advised that the majority of fans aren't as cruel as the trolls who drove her offline.
"On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow ... I've met lots of real fellow [Star Wars] fans. We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humor, love & respect. We're the VAST majority, we're having fun & doing just fine," he wrote.
Elsewhere, Ridley, who plays Rey in the new trilogy, deleted her Instagram account back in 2016 following criticism of her decision to post about gun control.
The Brit actress who, much like Tran, was a virtual unknown prior to landing a gig in the world-conquering sci-fi series, discussed the situation towards the end of last year.
"I posted a thing about gun regulations, because I was at an event in tribute to the Orlando shooting at Pulse. People weren't nice about how I looked. And I was like, 'I'm out.' Simple as that. That is not what I signed up for," she told Glamour.
An Easy Target For Trolls
Sadly, Tran is no stranger to harassment from angry, entitled Star Wars fans. Alt-right personality Paul Ray Ramsey tweeted a photo comparing her and Battlestar Galactica star Grace Park to mock Tran for supposedly being overweight.
Likewise, racist trolls targeted Tran's Wookieepedia page and changed her name to a racial slur describing her as stupid and autistic, among other horrible things. The staff, who promised that it would be kept in lockdown going forward, changed it later.
Fans also targeted her black co-star, John Boyega, for his inclusion in the hit franchise. Johnson also fought back against those who criticized him for including several female characters and people of color in The Last Jedi.
"There were death threats ... At first I was freaked out but then I realized the things people were angry about are the things I'm most proud about," the director told The Standard in the UK.
