Kelly Marie Tran said she’s ready to celebrate “all parts of herself,” years after facing a toxic hate campaign by “Star Wars” fans.
2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” film was supposed to be Tran’s big break in Hollywood. She was the first Asian-American cast in a lead role in a “Star Wars” movies.
However, some fans disliked the movie and Tran’s character, and started sending racist, misogynistic, and body-shaming comments and death threats on social media. The hate continued for months, with several cast mates coming to Tran’s defense against the online trolls.
Tran later deleted all her Instagram posts and left social media. Her character’s role was markedly reduced in the following “Star Wars” movie. The productions had different directors and the reduction in Tran’s screen time was reportedly for technical reasons, however, critics have argued that this excuse felt flimsy.
Fan groups harassing actors, especially women of color, for appearing in their favorite franchises has been a worrying trend. Rachel Zegler, Moses Ingram, and Amandla Stenberg have also received similar vitriol in recent years.
Tran told Business Insider after speaking to mental health professionals for years she can now see the joy of her “Star Wars” experience.
“I still hold that experience with such fondness in my heart because there was so much creativity, professionalism, and artistry on those sets,” Tran said.
“It allowed me into these audition rooms I never would’ve been in a million years if I hadn’t done that job.”
Disney/Lucasfilm
Tran said that the online criticism made her realize her own internalized racism, misogyny, and shame about her body. She said the experience opened a door for her to go down “the scary path of figuring out how to heal.”
“I wouldn’t be who I am today without it,” she added.
Tran told BI, “Going through the therapy and counseling got me to a point where now I get to make art celebrating the parts of myself that I was taught to be ashamed of. That I was persecuted for.”
She said her new film “The Wedding Banquet,” that premiered on April 18, is part of her new goal to star in films that celebrate her identity.
The film is a remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 romantic drama with the same name. In it, Tran plays Angela, a lesbian who marries her best friend’s boyfriend (played by Han Gi-chan) so he can get a green card to stay in the US and hide his sexuality from his homophobic grandparents.
Luka Cyprian / Bleecker Street / ShivHans Pictures
Tran came out as queer in a Vanity Fair article published in November 2024 at the beginning of “The Wedding Banquet” press tour.
She told BI that the film is something she “needed 10 years ago.”
“It’s so Asian, it’s so queer, so honest with its ability to authentically represent what it is to be a child of immigrants,” Tran said.
Tran told BI that the Vanity Fair team gave her a few months to consider her decision to come out before publishing the article.
Tran said she was grateful to the outlet for giving her time to reflect on the article.
“Looking back, I’m like, wow, I really couldn’t have thought of a more perfect way to celebrate this part of myself, and I’m very grateful that it happened that way.”
