Disney CEO Bob Chapek addressed the firing of Gina Carano from The Mandalorian during the company’s annual shareholders meeting Tuesday, Varietyreports.
When questioned about whether Disney was taking sides in the political divide, especially after the decision to ax the openly conservative Carano, who played Cara Dune on the Disney+ series, when she and her co-star Pedro Pascal have both referenced Nazi Germany on social media, Chapek chose to only speak on the former issue. “The fact is that we have a tremendous opportunity now to bring this country back together and unite people,” he responded. “One thing we can all agree on is the power of Disney to unite us all.”
“I don’t really see Disney as characterizing itself as right-leaning or left-leaning,” Chapek said, adding that Disney stands “for values that are universal: respect, decency, integrity and inclusion and we seek to have the content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world we live in. And I think that’s a world we should all live in harmony and peace.”
Carano was fired last month after a message on her Stories where she seemed to be comparing her experience being a Republican to Jews during the Holocaust. The post was apparently the last straw for Lucasfilm, which severed ties with MMA fighter-turned-actress shortly thereafter.
“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” a spokesperson for the production company said in a statement. “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
In an interview on The Ben Shapiro Show, Carano claimed she was being bullied and “head-hunted” by Disney and Lucasfilm. Carano said she was accidentally included in an email among Disney officials where the #FireGinaCarano hashtag was being discussed. She knew they were aware of the discourse going on about her, which made her believe her days on the show were numbered, but she was only made aware of her firing when she found out about it on social media.
Carano has since signed a movie deal with the conservative website The Daily Wire. Details regarding the film are still unknown.
