Moses Ingram and Ewan McGregor
(Picture: Getty Images)Ewan McGregor has hit out against “horrendous, racist” messages sent to his Star Wars co-star Moses Ingram.
The actor released a video message on Tuesday night strongly condemning the abuse, saying anyone sending racist messages is “no Star Wars fan in my mind”.
The pair are co-starring in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, where Ingram plays the Third Sister, Reva Sevander.
In the message, which was shared on the official Star Wars Twitter account, McGregor said: “It seems that some of the fan base has decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist [direct messages].
“I heard some of them this morning, and it just broke my heart.
“Moses is a brilliant actor. She is a brilliant woman. And she is absolutely amazing in this series.
A personal message from Ewan McGregor. pic.twitter.com/rJSDmj663K
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 1, 2022
“She brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise. And it just sickened me to my stomach that this had been happening,” he continued.
“I just want to say, as the lead actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses.
“We love Moses. And if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind.
“There’s no place for racism in this world. And I totally stand with Moses.”
It comes after Ingram opened up about the “hundreds” of racist messages she had received since starring in the show.
On Tuesday, she took to Instagram to show a handful of examples of the racist abuse she was getting.
She said: “There’s nothing anybody can do about this.
There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate. I question my purpose in even being here in front of you saying that this is happening. I don’t really know.”
There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.
— Star Wars (@starwars) May 31, 2022
“The thing that bothers me is this feeling inside of myself, that no one has told me, but this feeling that I have to shut up and take it, that I have to grin and bear it.
“And I’m not built like that. So, I wanted to come on and say thank you to the people who show up for me in the comments and the places that I’m not going to put myself. And to the rest of y’all, y’all weird.”
Meanwhile, Star Wars also heavily condemned the racist abuse, tweeting to its 5.8 million followers: “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”
They added: “We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”
Other actors have also opened up about the racist abuse they have received since being cast in the sequel trilogy.
Kelly Marie Tran, the first woman of colour to have a leading role in the franchise, revealed she was sent a barrage of sexist and racist abuse since appearing as Rose Tico in The Last Jedi.
And John Boyega who played Finn also opened up about his own experience with racist fans after starring in the film.
The Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi has become the channel’s most-watched premiere for an original series since its release.
