Popular Star Wars actress Gina Carano, who played Cara Dune in the hit series The Mandalorian, was fired in early February after Disney responded unfavorably to her conservative minded tweets.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek has provided further details into the firing in comments issued during an annual shareholders’ meeting, claiming the axing had nothing to do with politics. According to the Hollywood Reporter, when asked if Carano was targeted over her conservative leaning views, Chapek said Disney isn’t “left-leaning or right-leaning” and that Disney stands for “values that are universal: values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity, and values of inclusion. And we seek to have the content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world we live in. And I think that’s a world we should all live in harmony and peace.”
Some have argued that it’s more “intimidation and fear” rather than “harmony and peace” as well as “exclusion” rather than “inclusion.” At the time of the firing, many noted that Mandalorian co-star Pedro Pascal had tweeted a (false) meme using Nazi imagery, something Carano was fired over, and yet he received not so much as even a hint of punishment.
As GameSpot points out, this isn’t the first time Disney has canned someone over political views. James Gunn was fired back in 2018 after old tweets were unearthed and presented in current day context.
As for Carano, The Daily Wire – a conservative news outlet headed up by Ben Shapiro – was quick to reach out and seize on the opportunity to sign a major free agent talent and announced she’d be directing and starring in a feature film produced by Shapiro’s team.