I hope that everybody had a fantastic 4th of July and were safe during the festivities. I certainly had a lot of fun with my last post. It was a very explosive post. But right now, I want to discuss something very serious. It’s something that’s trouble for quite some time now. It goes without saying that having fans can seriously contribute to the success of a film. You get enough people to really like the film that you make and you’ve got yourself a fan base. These are people that are willing to get behind you and prop up your movie and everything about it. Fans can be very important. Sometimes, even to the point where the only way you can make a sequel is if the fans are screaming for one. Granted, it’s still a business decision, but fans can and have influenced those decisions. But, like everything in the world, a fan base can have a dark side. What do I mean by that? The gist of it is that there are a number of fans who can sometimes go to far in loving a film. By that, I mean people will become obsessed and sometimes exhibit some form of psychotic behavior. It happens more than you would think. You end up having film-makers and actors being stalked and/or threatened by complete strangers. This sometimes can end up in a very tragic situation. That’s why you see movie stars and celebrities file restraining orders against some people, because they feel threatened.
Now, the reason I bring this topic up, is because over the past few days, actor Ahmed Best, known for playing Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, came out and detailed what his experiences were after Episode I was released and it was not good. He got sent a number of death threats by some very vocal and rabid Star Wars fans basically saying that he ruined Star Wars. According to a post he made on social media, the extreme negative reaction to his character almost drove him to suicide. Thank God he didn’t, because it wasn’t his fault for how the character turned out. I didn’t particularly care for the character either, but that’s no excuse and certainly not a valid reason for issuing death threats against someone who just wanted to entertain people. He’s not the only one who faced the wrath of the fans after the film’s release. Then-child actor Jake Lloyd, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker, basically got ostracized by people all over the world. According to Jake, he got bullied at school in 2001 to the point where he got rid of all of his Star Wars memorabilia and left acting behind. This also led to him having problems in his life later on, where he got in trouble with the law for reckless driving, resisting arrest and being diagnosed with schizophrenia. It’s horrible, really. These actors and film-makers don’t deserve the kind of hatred and venom that’s being spewed at them by what appears to be a very vocal minority of fans. George Lucas himself stepped away from the franchise that made him a household name because people accused him of ruining their childhoods and destroying Star Wars.
Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in last year’s The Last Jedi, was forced to close her Instagram because she was being targeted by racist cowards and extremely negative fans that didn’t like her performance. Other fans as well as Rian Johnson and actors John Boyega and Mark Hamill came to her defense and openly criticized her attackers. The advent of social media has led to unprecedented access to movies as well as actors and film-makers, mostly in a positive way, but it has also made it easier for the trolls to harass these folks who don’t deserve to be harassed. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, recently came out and told some of these fans who felt that their childhoods were ruined to go to therapy and he’s not wrong. He’s not targeting all of the Star Wars fans, as I also believe that the majority of Star Wars fans are genuinely decent folks. Sure, they have opinions, but they try to discuss things in a constructive manner. Those are the fans worth having. The ones that continuously harass film-makers and actors, saying that these people ruined their childhoods and destroyed the thing they loved most are the ones that need some serious psychological help. You don’t like a particular film in the series? Great, discuss what you did and didn’t like in a respectful manner. Film-makers and actors have a tendency to listen more to folks who do that. To the toxic fans who constantly spew venom at folks like George Lucas, Rian Johnson and all the other people who just want to entertain you: Get over yourselves. Star Wars does NOT belong to you. It never has and it never will. As for the prequels and the new movies ruining your childhood? Bullshit. You’re lashing out because you’re jealous that these people are more successful than you and are doing what they love.
Now, Star Wars doesn’t have the only fans in the world, but they are the most vocal and some of them really do take things way too far and it leads to people having some serious issues with depression. You can be a fan and not be obsessed with actors or a particular movie. If you feel that Rian Johnson or George Lucas has damaged your childhood in such a way that the only response that you can give is one of hatred and venom, then maybe you need to take a step back and re-examine your life and your priorities. Star Wars, at the end of the day, is just entertainment. That’s all. You can love it or you can hate it, but don’t take it out on people who really aren’t responsible for how their characters turn out. I’ve also noticed that some comments on these stories are basically telling these actors and film-makers to get over it. Let me explain something about depression: “Getting over it” is not that simple. If you’ve never suffered from depression, you will never know how real the struggle is. A lot of these actors tend to suffer from some kind of depression and that can come with the fame that they get. You have to understand that folks like Ahmed Best, Jake Lloyd, Rian Johnson and Kelly Marie Tran are people just like you and me and they deserve to be treated as such.
That’s my rant. It was something that I needed to get off my chest. I honestly hope that most of you agree with what I said. If you don’t, that’s fine too, just be respectful.