News From Hollywood : After playing Rebel ranger Cara Dune in two series on The Mandalorian, Gina Carano—a former martial arts fighter turned actress—left the show in 2021. She is currently suing the two production firms of the program.
In her lawsuit against Disney and LucasFilm, actress Gina Carano alleges she was fired from The Mandalorian for airing her “personal political opinions” and faces discrimination.
After starring as Rebel ranger Cara Dune in two seasons of the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, Carano was fired in February 2021, according to the lawsuit, due to political ideas she voiced on social media.
The 41-year-old had brought up political divisions in the US at the time, citing the treatment of Jews by the Nazis.
After that, LucasFilm, the production company, issued a statement saying that her “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable”.
The social media network controlled by Elon Musk, X Corp, is providing financial assistance for the actress’s complaint, which was submitted to the Californian District Court on Tuesday.
She is requesting a jury trial and at least $75,000 (about £59,000) in compensatory damages.
Disney and LucasFilm “targeted, harassed, publicly humiliated, defamed, and went to great lengths to destroy Carano’s career,” according to the court docs.
In the case, Carano also alleges that she received different treatment from her male coworkers.
“Disney bullied Ms. Carano, trying to force her to conform to their views about cultural and political issues, and when that bullying failed, they fired her,” said attorney Gene Schaerr, managing partner of Schaerr Jaffe.
“Punishing employees for their speech on political or social issues is illegal under California law.”
Carano, who started out as a mixed martial arts fighter, has acted in numerous Hollywood productions such as Deadpool, where she portrayed Angel Dust, and Fast & Furious 6, where she played Riley Hicks.
“We rely on our leaders and people in positions of power to be just, cool-headed and steady-handed and to be able to listen to all sides of the story, keep the peace and act justly,” she continued.
“Some of us have been unjustly singled out, harassed, persecuted and had our livelihoods stripped away because we dared to encourage conversation, asked questions, and refused to go along with the mob.”
Carano added that she felt “honoured” to have Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s backing, citing their initial communication on X.
“As a sign of X Corp’s commitment to free speech, the online platform is proud to provide financial support for Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination,” according to a statement from the business.
[…] her lawsuit against Disney and LucasFilm, actress Gina Carano alleges she was fired from The Mandalorian for airing her “personal political opinions” […]