Actress Gina Carano's lawsuit against Disney has taken a surprising turn for the better. She recently revealed that she has reached a settlement with Disney and is dropping the lawsuit.
The conflict stems from Disney's dismissal of her from the hit American TV series "The Mandalorian." The series, which aired on Disney+, a spinoff of the "Star Wars" IP, focuses on the fate of a Mandalorian warrior, played by Pedro Pascal. In both seasons one and two, Gina Carano played the mercenary Kara. According to series creator Jon Favreau, the role was tailor-made for her, embodying female strength.
Gina Carano in "The Mandalorian."
Born in 1982, Gina Carano stands 1.73 meters tall and weighs 65 kilograms. She excelled in sports from a young age, excelling in basketball, volleyball, and softball. After graduating from college, she began training in Muay Thai and quickly became a star in the American mixed martial arts world, winning numerous championships. After retiring in 2009, she transitioned to acting, starring in the action film "The Last Wish," where she battled Michael Fassbender for 300 rounds. In 2013, she starred in "Fast & Furious 6," making her a global household name. In 2018, Carano was cast by Disney for a pivotal role in "The Mandalorian." Her impressive skills have earned her recognition as one of Hollywood's next generation of female action stars, with a promising future.
Gina Carano in "Fast & Furious 6."
However, as the saying goes, "Trouble comes from the mouth." In February 2021, Gina Carano posted on social media, comparing the current practice of "hating others simply because of different political views" in American society to the tragic persecution suffered by Jewish compatriots during World War II.
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers, but by their neighbors. Because history has been distorted, most people today don’t realize that the Nazi soldiers were able to easily round up thousands of Jews because the government had done this: it made their neighbors hate them simply because they were Jewish. How is this different from hating someone simply because they have different political views?”
This statement immediately attracted a lot of criticism. In their view, Gina Carano, who supports the Republican Party, meant that the situation of Republican supporters in the United States today is like that of Jews under the clutches of the Nazis. Such a perception is not only an inexplicable exaggeration, but also touches on the political correctness minefield that has long been followed by Western society and cannot be used as a metaphor for the Nazi Holocaust.
Before becoming an actress, Gina Carano was a professional combat athlete.
Soon, many of her old posts were dug up one by one, including those opposing the wearing of masks by all during the epidemic; promoting conspiracy theories and suggesting that there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election. For a time, the call to "fire Gina Carano" became a hot word on social media.
Gina Carano's Hollywood agency terminated its partnership with her, followed by Lucasfilm, the studio producing The Mandalorian, which publicly announced it was removing her from the series. Comedian Bill Burr, who played the sharpshooter Mayfield in the series, expressed his disapproval of this. Conservative media outlets and their audiences, particularly those supporting Republican positions, have pointed out that in 2018, Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal, who would later play the lead male role in The Mandalorian, compared the arrests of illegal immigrants by US law enforcement to the detention of Jews in Nazi concentration camps, only to face no consequences. Comparing this to Gina Carano's treatment reveals a profound double standard in Hollywood.
Bill Burr (left) and Pedro Pascal in "The Mandalorian."
In February 2024, Gina Carano filed a lawsuit against Lucasfilm and its parent company Disney, accusing them of wrongful dismissal and gender discrimination, and demanding at least $75,000 in punitive damages. In April of that year, Disney filed a motion in the California federal court to dismiss the case, but the motion was rejected by the judge in October. The plaintiff Carano also posted at the time, "This is Disney. If you say something they don't agree with, you will be fired... Disney will control your speech and ideas at all costs, and for those who don't obey, they will ruin your career. This is today's 'Disney values'."
According to the original schedule, the case will officially go to trial next month. Just recently, Gina Carano announced that the two parties had reached a settlement, but did not disclose the specific terms of the settlement. Later, Lucasfilm also issued a settlement statement, even saying, "Ms. Carano has always been respected by directors, colleagues and staff. She has worked hard to hone her acting skills and treats her colleagues with kindness and respect. With the end of the lawsuit, we look forward to finding new cooperation opportunities with Ms. Carano in the near future." Compared with the post they issued when they fired Carano in February 2021 - "Her social media posts that belittle others based on cultural and religious identity are outrageous and unacceptable" - the attitude is quite different.
The TV series "The Mandalorian" ended after the third season aired in 2023. The spin-off movie "The Mandalorian and Googu" is still in production and is expected to be released in the summer of next year. It is not clear whether Gina Carano will appear in the film again.
In legal documents disclosed by the media, Disney told the court that its initial decision to fire Carano stemmed from then-CEO Bob Chapek's belief that "Carano's views were inconsistent with our company's values." However, Chapek resigned in disgrace at the end of 2022. With Trump's re-election, the American social climate has shifted dramatically, and Hollywood studios are now feeling threatened. Against this backdrop, reaching a settlement with Republican supporter Gina Carano and avoiding escalating tensions is an ideal solution for Disney.
