“Being in this position, you just understand the masses, how the masses think, you know,” Boyega said in the interview. “Through social media, we get to engage, we get to have fun. But at the same time, for those who are not mentally strong, you are weak to believe in every single thing that you read.”
He continued, “That’s, you know, it is what it is. I don’t know, for me anyway, when I see that [backlash], I’m like, ‘Well, that’s actually not true.’ But no, it is actually not true. So it’s kind of like [shrugs], it is what it is.”
“Badly worded though. I apologize,” Boyega concluded.
Slaven Vlasic/Getty; Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic
Trandeleted her Instagram accountdue to the online harassment she faced when she was cast in 2017’s The Last Jedi, becoming the first Asian American actress to land a major role in the sci-fi franchise. But not all fans were welcoming to the new character of resistance fighter Rose Tico.
Two months after she removed herself from social media, Tran, who is Vietnamese-American, described the “self-hate” she felt in an op-ed for theNew York Times.
“It wasn’t their words, it’s that I started to believe them. Their words seemed to confirm what growing up as a woman and a person of color already taught me: that I belonged in margins and spaces, valid only as a minor character in their lives and stories,” she wrote in the piece.
Earlier this week, Tranreflected on the difficult timein her career while promoting the upcomingStar Warsfilm, in which she reprises her role.
Kelly Marie Tran and John Boyega inStar Wars: The Last Jedi.David James/©2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Tran continued on to say she had to take the time to ensure her mental health was intact amid the onslaught of online criticism — something that Tran admitted she didn’t understand was important until finding herself in the social media situation.
“Reminding yourself that you are not alone and it is okay. These are the biggest things,” Tran said. “Anytime you are sort of confronted with a situation that increases your fear and your anxiety if you allow that voice to be silent and if you allow yourself to sort of isolate yourself, I think it gets worse.”
She added, “So the best thing for me was just being honest and talking about it.”
In June 2018, Boyega showed solidarity for Tran on Twitter shortly after she exited social media, condemning those who directly attacked the actress.
“If you don’t like Star Wars or the characters understand that there are decision makers and harassing the actors/ actresses will do nothing,” hewroteat the time. “You’re not entitled to politeness when your approach is rude. Even if you paid for a ticket!”
source: people.com
