Fired Star Wars actor Gina Carano has said she was moved to tears after being given the opportunity to move ahead with her legal case against Disney.
On Wednesday (July 24), an LA judge denied Disney’s motion to dismiss her lawsuit, which she filed after being fired from the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian over her social media comments comparing US politics to the Holocaust.
US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett rejected Disney’s claim that it had a “right to dissociate its own artistic message from Carano’s outspoken ‘political beliefs.’”
Celebrating the decision, Carano posted on X: “I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity. What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward. Let it stop here.
“I quite literally fought to get to where I got to in my career through intense ups and downs, and I’ll keep up that fight to continue doing what I love. I appreciate all of you who stood by me and defended me, and I am so sorry that similar situations have happened to some of you. I want you to know that I see you and I stand with you.
“the court DENIES defendants motion.”
I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity.
What happened to me was… pic.twitter.com/q7r3MLhCEr
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) July 25, 2024
The former MMA champion went on to thank Elon Musk, who funded her lawsuit against Disney and hired attorneys to represent the axed Star Wars actress.
“Thank you to @elonmusk, a man I have never even met, who so graciously gave me a fighting chance,” she wrote. “Thank you for standing for justice for all of humanity. May God bless you and your family for years to come because He has chosen you for such a time as this.”
She continued: “I was wounded and in so much pain, but I feel that pain lifting now. I pray for justice to shine through this case. It’s been one heck of a life. I am looking forward to getting back to the art of storytelling and doing my part to help the world heal. Thank you all.
“I’m sure it will be quite a battle ahead, but God’s given me the ability to take some punches and give some back. My feet are on solid ground. Imagine what your voice can do.”
Carano was fired from the cast of The Mandalorian in 2021 after suggesting on social media that the COVID lockdowns were comparable to the Holocaust.
The actress was met with heavy criticism after she posted that “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbours…. even by children.”
She went on to say: “Because history is edited, most people today don’t realise that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbours hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”
Carano, who played the mercenary Cara Dune on the Star Wars series, deleted the post, but it was widely shared online and caused the #FireGinaCarano hashtag to trend.
In March this year, the actor addressed her sacking from the show in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “It became very popular to hate me and pick on me.”