Disney has cast a transgender actor, a biological male who identifies as a woman, for the role of Ensign Eurus in the new “Star Wars” series on the Disney+ streaming site due out next year.
The 30-year-old British actor is part of the Lucasfilm franchise after being chosen for “The Acolyte.” The series is set to take place near the end of the High Republic Era and sets the stage for the collapse of the Jedi, according to Screenrant.
United Agents, a literary and talent agency, described Abigail Thorn as a British YouTuber and playwright who is best known for producing the Philosophy Tube channel on YouTube. Thorn will be joined on the project by non-binary actor Amanda Steinberg, The Direct noted.
Lucasfilm teased the series at the 2023 Star Wars Celebration, however it is unclear how big of a role Thorn’s character will play, the outlet noted.
The move to hire a transgender star comes after the casting of transgender and non-binary actor Zoe Terakes for “Ironheart,” the next series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is expected to release sometime in the fall on the streaming site.
In 2021, the “Star Wars” franchise introduced and celebrated two “trans non-binary” characters by the names Terec and Ceret in its Marvel and Star Wars comic book “The High Republic.”
At the time, the “Star Wars” Instagram captioned its post, “In honor of #TransDayOfVisibility we’re proud to unveil an exclusive cover highlighting Terec and Ceret, trans non-binary Jedi, currently featured in Marvel’s ‘The High Republic comic.’”
“We support trans lives and we are passionate and committed to broadening our representation in a galaxy far far way,” it added.
Disney has faced a backlash at the box office following its push of LGBTQ representation. The latest movie to come out of the Disney Pixar studio, “Elemental,” includes a “non-binary” character and the movie had one of the worst openings in the studio’s history, earning $29.5 million at the domestic box office.
“Strange World” involved a same-sex teen romance and was a box office flop for the company. It was projected to make $30 to $40 million over the long weekend. However, its five-day opening ended with only $18.6 million, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
