The Star Wars fanbase is undoubtedly one of the best in cinematic history, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. In fact, it’s actually far from it, as there’ve been plenty of times when some of these fans have completely crossed the line.
One of the more memorable examples revolved around certain people harassing actress Kelly Marie Tran so much online for her character in the franchise that she was forced to flee social media. The worst part about this incident is that it isn’t isolated. In a recent interview, Daisy Ridley also spoke to some of the abuse she’s received on the web and vows that she’ll never return to social media because of the toxic criticism:
“I honestly think now with social media and stuff… it’s great to have freedom of expression, but I do feel like people think opinions have so much weight,” she says. “I don’t really think bad vibes should have the sun shone on them. Like, I don’t want to read your thing!”
Ridley had amassed over 2 million followers on Instagram, but deleted her account in 2016 shortly after receiving pushback on an anti-gun post. Following that, she left Facebook for good as well. The Star Wars actress claims that she often felt compelled to post on the platform due to her celebrity status.
“I was like, ‘I need to post. Oh my god, it’s been this many days.’ It’s actually been kind of nice not to be on it,” she says. “I’m 24. I have a lot of growing up to do. I have to deal with loads of stuff, myself personally. For that to be projected with millions of people watching, that is like a bit of an extra pressure.”
Ridley certainly does have a very full plate. She’s one of the biggest and most rapidly rising names in the film industry right now. Her fame will only grow if she ends up getting cast as Batgirl, too, which is reportedly being considered by Warner Bros. The lack of social media presence, though frustrating for fans, sounds like it’s ultimately good for the actress and her mental health. Hopefully, this will be a lesson to teach people to be nicer online.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.