Bob Chapek Chimes In On Gina Carano's Firing
When Gina Carano got removed from The Mandalorian, this lit up another dumpster-fire in a fan community that has already been divided for the last several years. Much has been said about this matter in recent weeks, with Carano claiming that she has been bullied and only learning about her firing from social media.
Ultimately, her departure from the galaxy far, far away didn’t really come as a big surprise, as there had been whispers that Disney and Lucasfilm weren’t too pleased with a lot of things that the actress and MMA fighter had said on social media, even before season 2 of The Mandalorian was released. So, it was probably only a matter of time before the inevitable happened, and Carano’s comparison of the way conservatives are treated in the US with the fate of Jewish people during the Nazi regime was the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to Disney’s official statement not to work with her on future projects.
Apart from this, no other comments were made by Disney or Lucasfilm initially, and many thought that there wouldn’t be any more. That is, until Bob Chapek, current CEO of Disney, was asked at a recent shareholder’s call if the company is creating a blacklist for certain actors or artists who don’t fit the company’s political opinion. This was Mr. Chapek’s answer:
"I don't really see Disney as characterizing itself as left-leaning or right-leaning, yet instead standing for values. Values that are universal, values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity, and values of inclusion. And we seek to have not only how we operate, but the content that we make, reflective of the rich diversity of the world that we live in. And I think that's a world that we all should live in in harmony and peace."
One might argue that Mr. Chapek’s answer is that of a politician, vague and not getting to the point. Instead of directly answering the caller’s question, he rather stressed the values that the company stands for.
Chapek’s answer might be disappointing for some who had hoped for a clear and distinct message, but on the other hand, no matter what he said on this matter, either criticizing Carano’s statements and defending her firing or playing down what she had said, would only have added more fuel to the already active debate. It’s a lose-lose situation, and so he chose the way of neither attacking nor defending either side.
And Carano is not the first person working for the mouse company who had to face the consequences of saying not-too-clever things in public. In 2018, Chuck Wendig, author of the Aftermath trilogy, and back then to-be writer of an upcoming Darth Vader comic miniseries and another Star Wars novel, got fired, presumably because of some rather vulgar tweets and his quite progressive political views. And shortly before that, James Gunn, who was set to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Marvel, was kicked out as well, after some very offensive tweets by him from several years earlier were suddenly washed to the surface. Gunn later apologized and distanced himself from these statements, more or less classifying them as “youthful sins.” But it took a while (and a detour into the DC universe) before Disney welcomed Gunn back into the family and let him finally do the third installment of GOTG.
Neither Wendig nor Gunn are typically associated with the right side of the political spectrum, so it seems at least doubtful that Disney is actually on a crusade against artists who do not share liberal opinions. As neither Wendig nor Carano apologized for their statements, but rather carried on in the same manner, it simply seems as if Disney had no other choice but to pull the plug. After all, it is a company that has to make money, keep the shareholders happy, and present a more or less neutral face in public. If they feel that one of their “employees” is saying or doing things that endangers this image, they will react sooner or later, no matter if these things are left wing or right wing.
And one thing is certain: the absence of Grogu (if he really doesn’t appear anymore in season 3 of The Mandalorian) will be felt as a much bigger loss than that of Cara Dune.
Source(s): The Direct