Gina Carano has said she felt “hopeless” after being fired from The Mandalorian but that filing a lawsuit against the production companies showed she was “able to fight back”.
The US actress is suing Disney and Lucasfilm for wrongful termination and discrimination as she claims she was dropped from the sci-fi franchise for expressing her “personal political opinions” on social media.
Elon Musk is funding the lawsuit filed by Carano, who began her career as a mixed martial arts fighter before she moved into action films and later starred in two series of The Mandalorian as Rebel ranger Cara Dune.
Gina Carano (Tony Di Maio/PA) /caption]
She was axed from the series in 2021 after causing controversy with posts she shared online, including one which referenced the Nazis’ treatment of Jewish people while discussing political differences in modern day USA.
At the time, the show’s production company, Lucasfilm, released a statement saying her “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable”.
Court documents filed in February on behalf of Carano claim Disney and Lucasfilm “targeted, harassed, publicly humiliated, defamed, and went to great lengths to destroy Carano’s career”.
Reflecting on her banishment in a new interview, she told The Hollywood Reporter: “You become unhirable. And then it becomes OK for other people to disrespect you.
“And then you’re just carrying around this disrespect, and you’re shouldering all this shame, and it affects your physicality, your mentality.
“You’re just kind of hopeless. So to be able to fight back — it makes me feel like, ‘OK. That feels good.’”
Asked if there was a compensation figure from the lawsuit which would make her happy, she said: “I know this might sound odd. But I’m not thinking about that.
“I’m thinking about clearing my name. I’m thinking about finally being healthier and having this monkey off my back and telling my story and just getting on with my life. Finally.”
The actress revealed she was given further training by Lucasfilm and Disney’s HR department following her comments, including some which led to her being accused of mocking people who state their preferred pronouns.
She said she received media training and spoke with two transgender representatives from GLAAD, a non-profit organisation which describes itself as being “focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change”.
Today is an important day for me--I am filing a lawsuit against @lucasfilm & @Disney
After my 20 years of building a career from scratch, and during the regime of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Lucasfilm made this statement on Twitter, terminating me from The Mandalorian: “Gina…— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) February 6, 2024
Carano also told The Hollywood Reporter that her co-star Pedro Pascal had explained the basics of the trans movement for her.
She said: “He was telling me ‘Just put #transrights in your feed. Do it and they’ll leave you alone.’”
The actress said she did not follow his advice “because that’s not my style, to put hashtag anything. I’m also not going to put #TrumpsRights”.
During her career, Carano has starred in other Hollywood franchises including Fast & Furious 6 as Riley Hicks, and Deadpool, where she played Angel Dust.
Reflecting on whether she hopes to rejoin Hollywood, she said: “If the unforgivable sin in Hollywood is being a person who wouldn’t perfectly conform at a time when emotions were running wild in the world, then that’s probably not a Hollywood I’ll ever belong to.
“But I think once egos are put aside, Hollywood has the opportunity to grow just like we all do.”
Discussing Musk offering his support to her case, she said she thought it was “pretty incredible”.
A previous statement from the company said: “As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, the online platform is proud to provide financial support for Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination.”
A representative for Disney and Lucasfilm have been contacted for comment.
