Celebrities Defend Star Wars Actor After Online Abuse Results In Instagram Quit

Star Wars actor Kelly Marie Tran received online abuse in the form of racist and sexist comments shortly after the release of The Last Jedi.

This resulted in her completely deleting her Instagram account and now a number of celebrities are using the same social media platform to come to her defence.

Hollywood's Olivia Munn took to Instagram to tell fans how Tran has set an example by leaving the social platform and that she's done incredibly well in the Star Wars film. She said: "As an Asian American actress myself, I am SO PROUD of [Kelly Marie Tran] for forging a path in Hollywood, which is extremely hard because it's not a path that already exists for us. Not only did she find a way, but she found it all the way to STAR WARS.

"She is ridiculously talented, brave and gorgeous. I think it's interesting how her character Rose Tico in #TheLastJedi allowed us to see how widespread the First Order's venom has become, reaching out to the farthest points of the galaxy.

"Kelly is showing us how poisonous people can corrode so many things right here on Earth. I'm proud of Kelly for taking a stand and saying enough to the bullshit."

She wasn't the only famous person to back her up, however. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson also had to endure negative backlash after the film's release and yesterday he highlighted the fact that some Star Wars fans need to realise when they over step the line.

"On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow on the wall, but over the past 4 years I've met lots of real fellow SW fans. We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humor, love & respect. We're the VAST majority, we're having fun & doing just fine.

"Done with this disingenuous bullshit. You know the difference between not liking a movie and hatefully harassing a woman so bad she has to get off social media. And you know which of those two we're talking about here."

Baby Driver director Edgar Wright and Frozen star Josh Gad also came to social media to show Tran support at this time, and everybody's favourite Skywalker, Mark Hamill, used a short and simple message to shut down her abusers on Twitter. The picture shows Tran smiling alongside her co-star Hamill with the caption "What's not to love?#GetALifeNerds."

Neither she nor anybody at Star Wars has confirmed if Rose Tico would be back for the next instalment, which will be Episode IX, but we hope this doesn't stop Tran from doing what she does best.

Words by: Matthew McGladdery