The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano, 38, has been fired by Lucasfilm after controversy erupted over her social media posts.
"Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," a Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."
Carano played Cara Dune in the series, set in the Star Wars galaxy, opposite Pedro Pascal and Giancarlo Esposito.
The actress has long been outspoken with her conservative views, however, on Wednesday, February 10, the hashtag #FireGinaCarano trended after she posted a series of Instagram stories which compared the treatment of Republicans in the US today to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. Her posts have since been deleted.
Many social media users tagged Lucasfilm and Disney in their #FireGinaCarano posts.
The most recent post on the actress's Instagram grid is a professionally shot image with the caption, "This is going to be fun", which was posted on Wednesday, February 10.
Carano has also been dropped by her agency, UTA.
In the past, she has caused controversy by mocking people who wear masks amid the coronavirus pandemic and suggesting voter fraud during the US election.
"People need to be OK with having conversations. With having difficult conversations, with having different opinions. What's wrong with having a different opinion?" Carano said in defence of her views in January.
Star Wars creator George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and The Mandalorian is currently shown on streaming platform Disney+.
"Disney is very conscious about their brand image, and it wouldn't be unusual for them to discontinue working with an actor that they view has become a liability," Hollywood industry analyst Rob Enderle told Forbes of Carano in January.
"After all, it is a business, but given Walt Disney was pretty conservative himself and had some questionable views, this kind of coverage will make them nervous. This exposure issue was the reason; historically, firms would warn employees about taking public political positions. If those positions caused brand or revenue damage, the employees who caused the problems could often be terminated. "
In December, LucasFilm announced The Mandalorian spin-off, Rangers of the New Republic, but is yet to announce the cast.
In the past, Carano has starred in action movies Haywire, Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool.
