Kelly Marie Tran, who made history as the first woman of color to play a leading role in the Star Wars franchise as Rose Tico in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" (2017), has spoken candidly about the racist and sexist harassment she endured from toxic fans following her appearance in the film.
"It's interesting how it seems to be happening pretty consistently to actors of color who find themselves in these spaces. And I think these occurrences are a microcosm for the social climate that we're living in. And it's really unfortunate," Tran stated, highlighting how her experience reflects broader societal issues.
The Vietnamese-American actress faced relentless online abuse that eventually led her to delete her social media accounts in June 2018. The harassment included racist edits to her character's Wookieepedia page, where trolls changed her name to racist slurs and altered her character's home to "Ching Chong China".
"We live in a world where those identities have been weaponized so that people are not able to see the bigger picture. I really just want people to recognize, it's the system that's the problem. Stop scapegoating people of color or queer people or anyone who's different," Tran emphasized.
In a powerful New York Times op-ed published in August 2018, Tran addressed the harassment, writing, "It wasn't their words, it's that I started to believe them".
She described how the online abuse sent her "down a spiral of self-hate, into the darkest recesses of my mind, places where I tore myself apart".
The actress later likened her Star Wars experience to "an embarrassingly horrible breakup," explaining how the public scrutiny affected her mental health and led her to prioritize self-care by disconnecting from the online world.
Following the harassment, Tran declined numerous opportunities and took time for introspection, focusing on activities like reading, journaling, and spending time in nature.
Tran's experience is unfortunately not unique. Fellow Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley also left social media in 2017 due to similar harassment. Director Rian Johnson has referred to these toxic fans as "manbabies" who believe Star Wars should be a franchise led exclusively by white male heroes
Despite these challenges, Tran has remained resilient. In her New York Times piece, she declared, "I am just getting started," and expressed her commitment to telling stories that show equality among races, religions, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Her courage has inspired support from co-stars like Mark Hamill and fans who created art in her honor, with a rally even being held at San Diego Comic-Con to celebrate the actress and her character.
Tran has since moved forward with her career, starring as Disney's princess in "Raya and the Last Dragon," demonstrating her determination not to let harassment define her path in the entertainment industry.
