"This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen."
The star of the latest Disney+ series set in the 'Star Wars' universe was warned about potential backlash online, due to the colour of her skin.
Moses Ingram has revealed that Lucasfilm preempted 'Star Wars' fans posting hurtful, racist comments, which could be aimed at the fresh recruit into the universe.
Ingram, who plays a new ruthless antagonist named Reva Sevander in the action series, said that Lucasfilm was well-versed in cautioning her about the potential dark side to the franchise, spearheaded by keyboard warriors in some pretty grim pockets of the internet.
The Emmy-nominated star of 'The Queen's Gambit' told The Independent that the studio offered their "help", should it occur: "It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, 'This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens'."
Series director Deborah Chow was "putting the proper systems in place so I feel safe as we do the work," noted Ingram while she was on set. However, Moses Ingram admits to already being aware of the racist 'Star Wars' fans out there and is remaining positive about her major role in the franchise: "Of course, there are always pockets of hate. But I have no problem with the block button.
"'Obi-Wan' is going to bring the most diversity I think we’ve ever seen in the galaxy before. To me, it’s long overdue.
"If you’ve got talking droids and aliens, but no people of colour, it doesn’t make any sense. It’s 2022, you know. So we’re just at the beginning of that change. But I think to start that change is better than never having started it."
It's likely that previous racist remarks which were aimed at two recent stars in the 'Star Wars' franchise, John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, haven't gone unnoticed by the film studios. Tran, who played Rose Tico in 'The Last Jedi' and 'Rise of Skywalker', said the racist comments led her to go "down a spiral of self-hate" in the wake of seeing distressing remarks written about her.
Ingram joins Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen for 'Obi-Wan Kenobi', which is set for release this Friday with a double-episode premiere on Disney+. Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma and more will star, with McGregor recently saying he'd love to return for another season in the future.