Following the cancellation of Star Wars show The Acolyte, Osha and Mae star Amandla Stenberg has opened up on her experiences since the show was announced.
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The series notably received a large amount of toxic online discourse, with Stenberg having previously said she had been "flooded" with "intolerable racism" since its debut.
Now, taking to Instagram Stories, Stenberg said that she wanted to acknowledge and show "appreciation and love and support for" those who had backed her and the show.
Stenberg added that the cancellation was "not a huge shock for me", explaining: "Of course, I live in the bubble of my own reality, but for those who aren’t aware, 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."
Amandla Stenberg and Manny Jacinto star in The Acolyte. Disney
She added that the cast and crew started "experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudiced hatred and hateful language towards us".
Stenberg continued: "And this really affected me when I first got the job. 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 kinda moved through those feelings in various ways, including being vocal about it myself.
"For me, it just became a situation where there was no option but for me to honour my sense of ethics and my belief system and my value system while being in this very unique position."
Despite the abuse she received, Stenberg added: "It has been an incredible honour and dream for me to be in this universe.
"Even though, of course I’m very sad about the show being cancelled, and I’m sad about us not being able to give people who are invested into it more, I still just feel a lot of levity and joy around the fact that I got to experience it and that people loved it and that people were so responsive."
Stenberg's co-star, Lee Jung-jae, previously said he was "quite surprised" by the show's cancellation, adding that he was "hoping that maybe there could be changes in the future".
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
