Actress Moses Ingram steps into the ‘Star Wars’ universe for the first time in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, playing villain Reva Sevander, an Imperial Inquisitor on a mission to hunt down the titular character.
This isn’t Ingram’s first brush with a famous series, though. The actress starred as Jolene in the smash hit Netflix miniseries ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
In her newest TV stint, Ingram was entering a space already occupied by decades of history, and one that isn’t always kind to newcomers. When the show hit screens on May 27, the Black actress was met by a barrage of racist trolls, which Disney and co-star Ewan McGregor strongly condemned.
“I just want to say, as the lead actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses,” McGregor said in a video. “We love Moses. And if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind. There’s no place for racism in this world. And I totally stand with Moses.”
During a press roundtable Gulf News was part of ahead of the show’s release, Ingram talked about being prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.
“Disney and Lucasfilm, they understand the fan base and obviously have dealt with situations in the past where different cast members of theirs were not treated so kindly,” she said. “And they made it a point to say that they’re there to support me in every step of the way.”
In the past, ‘Star Wars’ cast members of colour such as John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran have been attacked on social media.
“Everything I could do is done, has been done for about a year,” Ingram, 28, added. “What people think, though they’re going to say it, it’s not really well problem anymore... but I do hope that people like it.”
At the time, despite knowing the possibility of facing hate, Ingram was clear about the importance of her character.
“Traditionally this world has not seen a lot diversity. And so it is important... people want to see themselves in this galaxy far, far away. If there are Wookiees and there are robots, there’s gotta be more than just white people there too,” she said. “I know it’s gonna mean a lot to a lot of people and so I don’t overlook that at all.”
Talking about preparing for her role, she said that the hardest part was “probably the training”.
“Only because you have to get your body to a certain place to be able to do these things again and again and again. And so we trained for like, four intense months with Jedi school on top of that,” she said. “Anything you could think that you might need as a Jedi is what you learn in these classes. It was really intense, but we got to do it together and so it was fun.”
Ingram was also all praise for McGregor, who first played Obi-Wan Kenobi in 1999’s ‘Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace’ and in two other movies before reprising his role in the series.
“Ewan is super dope. You know, Ewan’s been doing this a long time and the foundation of what we are making today [is] because of what they did all those years ago,” the actress said. “And [he’s] just so down to earth and [is] just a walking example and a resource, who also means so much to so many people and is aware of that.”
Don’t miss it!
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ is out now on Disney+.
