They help send a project over the hitmaking edge if done right, but fanbases can also be a necessary evil in the industry. There are hundreds of millions of people who subscribe to some fanbase, including Rihanna's Navy, Beyoncé's BeyHive, and Nicki Minaj's Barbz. However, it isn't just artists who receive such devoted attention as film franchises also wield a heavy sword in the industry.
Award-winning actor Simon Pegg has been involved in a franchise or two during his career, and during his chat with Sam Roberts on SiriusXM, he gave his pick for the most "toxic" fanbase: Star Wars.
Pegg has starred in both Star Wars and Star Trek films, and according to him, he hasn't seen a more vicious fanbase than those belonging to the former. The actor admitted that he was once a part of the problem, given that many years ago, he was publicly critical of the prequel character Jar Jar Binks. The actor who portrayed the character, Ahmed Best, reportedly stated in an interview that a few years ago that he contemplated suicide due to the backlash Jar Jar Binks received.
We've reported on the more recent Star Wars films and how actors like John Boyega stepped forward to address the hateful messages and backlash from fans. Most of that vitriol had to do with Star Wars diversifying its cast.
“I’ve apologized for the things I’ve said about Jar Jar Binks because of course there was a f*cking actor involved and he was getting a lot of flack,” said Pegg. “It was a human being and because it got a lot of hay, he suffered and I feel terrible about being part of that.”
“Suddenly there's a little bit more diversity and everyone's kicking off about it and it’s really sad. I find the Star Trek fans have always been very, very inclusive,” he added. “Star Trek’s about diversity. It has been since 1966, it always was. There’s no sort of like, ‘Oh, you’re suddenly being woke.’ No, Star Trek was woke from the beginning. You had a Japanese navigator just after the Second World War. There was a Black woman on the deck in the position of authority. This is massively progressive."
[via]