Carano, who portrayed Cara Dune in the Star Wars TV series “The Mandalorian,” was fired from her role in February 2021. Following her termination, Gina Carano filed a lawsuit against Disney and Lucasfilm, alleging discrimination and wrongful termination. Elon Musk, CEO of X, has publicly expressed support for her.
According to court documents obtained by ET, Carano claims she was subjected to targeted harassment, public humiliation, defamation, and ultimately dismissed from her role due to her political statements on X that diverged from what Disney and Lucasfilm deemed acceptable viewpoints.
Carano argues that she was treated unfairly compared to her male co-stars who also made public political statements on social media but faced no disciplinary action. She specifically mentions Pedro Pascal, her former co-star, who had compared then-President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler in a 2017 Instagram post.
In response to controversial social media posts shared by Carano, including likening the American political climate to Nazi Germany and mocking pandemic-related mask mandates, Lucasfilm announced her termination in February 2021, denouncing her posts as “abhorrent and unacceptable.”
Carano further claims that Disney and Lucasfilm disapproved of her political views on COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates, as well as subjected her to harassment regarding the inclusion of pronouns in her social media profiles. Despite initially including droid-like sounds as a response to this pressure, she later removed them, stating her support for trans lives but expressing opposition to bullying tactics.
The lawsuit reflects Carano’s stance against what she perceives as unfair treatment and harassment, particularly regarding her political beliefs and social media presence.
Following a series of tweets aimed at clarifying her stance on pronouns in bios, Carano attempted to address accusations of being “transphobic” by emphasizing that her use of “Beep/bop/boop” was not intended to mock transgender individuals but rather to highlight what she perceived as bullying behavior within certain activist circles. Despite her efforts to convey this message of inclusivity, Disney and Lucasfilm allegedly remained dissatisfied.
According to Carano, she was subjected to prolonged phone calls during which she was criticized for not conforming to what she describes as an expectation of unwavering support for certain elements of the transgender activist community. Additionally, she claims she was enrolled in a “re-education” program and was required to meet with representatives from GLAAD, an experience she willingly underwent. Despite receiving positive feedback from GLAAD following a Zoom meeting, Disney and Lucasfilm continued to demand a public apology from Carano.
In her court filings, Carano asserts that the defendants went so far as to pressure her publicist to coerce her into issuing a statement admitting to actions she claims she never committed. Furthermore, she alleges that she was informed of a mandatory Zoom call with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and 45 LGBTQ+ identifying employees, which she declined to participate in, instead offering to meet a smaller group for a face-to-face discussion, an offer which she claims was refused by Disney and Lucasfilm.
Carano has initiated legal action, suing for discrimination, wrongful termination, and advocating for Lucasfilm to recast her role. In a comprehensive tweet announcing the lawsuit, she expressed that she felt targeted for expressing views that diverged from the prevailing narrative at the time.
She revealed in the same tweet that she responded to a message from Elon Musk, in which he offered to fund legal representation for individuals who had been terminated for expressing their opinions on his platform.
“To my surprise, a few months ago I received an email from a lawyer who had been hired by X to investigate my situation and many others,” Carano elaborated in her tweet. “After providing them with as much information as I could gather over the past few months, my current lawyers and X are fully committed to my case and are proceeding with legal action.”
Shortly after Carano’s announcement of the lawsuit on X, Musk indirectly expressed support by suggesting, “Please let us know if you would like to join the lawsuit against Disney.”
Carano’s attorney, Gene Schaerr, stated in a press release that “Disney attempted to coerce Ms. Carano into conforming to their perspectives on cultural and political matters, and when their coercion failed, they terminated her.” He emphasized, “It is against California law to penalize employees for expressing their views on political or social issues.”
Source: https://www.etonline.com
