The Acolyte Actress Sparks Controversy with Old Clip Featuring White Tears
The actress in “Star Wars: The Acolyte” faces backlash for aiming to evoke emotions from white viewers in “The Hate U Give.” Amandla Stenberg’s comments on making white people cry spark controversy, criticized for seeming racially divisive. Stenberg defends the film’s intent to enhance empathy for the real impact of police brutality on black communities. The actress from “Star Wars: The Acolyte” receives criticism for expressing intentions to provoke feelings from white audiences in “The Hate U Give.” Amandla Stenberg’s remarks about eliciting tears from white viewers stir debate, raising concerns about racial division. Stenberg clarifies the film’s purpose to foster empathy towards the harsh reality of police brutality on the black community.
An old video clip of an actress in the newly released “Star Wars: The Acolyte” series on Disney+ is sparking backlash online.
The interview in question shows actress Amandla Stenberg speaking about trying to make white people cry upon viewing the 2018 film, “The Hate U Give.”
“When people watch ‘The Hate U Give,’ what do you want them to walk away with, because I know everyone has a slightly different feeling,” late-night host Trevor Noah asked the star.
Stenberg replied, “Well, I mean, white people crying actually was the goal.” This comment caused Noah to burst into laughter, prompting the actress to repeat, “was the goal.”
“White people crying was the goal”
Amandla Stenberg, lead actress for the new Star Wars series, The Acolyte: pic.twitter.com/b9gOhvYVRj
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Social media commenters pointed out the double standard when it came to making racially divisive statements such as this.
“Openly racist and they laugh about it,” one social media user wrote. “And they wonder why no one watches their shows or movies.”
“I don’t understand what’s to gain with a statement like that? Their largest audience is white people. White people are 65% of the population,” another popular comment said.
“The Hate U Give,” based on a book of the same name, is a coming-of-age teen drama meant to make a statement on police brutality. A longer clip of the interview shows Stenberg explaining how the film is intended to make white people have more “empathy” for the plight of black Americans.
“We wanted to make sure that those who have been affected by the way in which the media misconstrues these events, actually have a real sense of empathy and are able to place themselves into the shoes of our communities. Understand that these are not just news events, they are happening to real people. They affect us in really deep and pervasive ways,” she said.
The movie shows the aftermath of a police shooting following a traffic stop when the officer kills a man who is reaching for a hairbrush, mistakenly believing he was reaching for a gun.
This isn’t the first controversy for the new “Star Wars” show.
“The Acolyte” showrunner Leslie Headland previously told The New York Times that she doesn’t believe people who oppose leftist activism are “true fans” of “Star Wars.”
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“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some ‘Star Wars’ storytelling in the past has been. I’ve felt it myself,” she told the outlet. Headland clarified in a follow-up text, “I stand by my empathy for ‘Star Wars’ fans. But I want to be clear. Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism or hate speech … I don’t consider a fan.”
Headland also said she was “so into” the series being called “the gayest ‘Star Wars.’”
The showrunner said in 2021 that she planned “to allow her own personal experiences as a queer woman shine through in the finished product.”
“There’s just no way that me being a queer woman is not going to be reflected in my work. I could try not to do it, but why would I? It just feels like a natural extension of what I do,” Headland explained at the time.
RELATED: Black Lives Matter Says ‘The Hate U Give’ Should Be More Anti-Cop
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