"Carrie-Anne Moss Surprised by Fan Reaction to Jedi Death in 'The Acolyte' Premiere"

Carrie-Anne Moss has opened up about the fan backlash surrounding her character’s early death in the Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte, admitting she didn’t anticipate the strong reaction from viewers.

In the show’s premiere episode, Lost / Found, Moss portrays Jedi Master Indara, a powerful and respected warrior whose life is cut short in a dramatic confrontation. A mysterious assassin — later revealed to be Mae, the twin sister of Amandla Stenberg’s character Osha — enters a cantina and provocatively challenges Indara to attack her with full force. What follows is a tense, emotionally charged duel that ends with Mae defeating and killing Indara. Given Moss’ iconic status from The Matrix and her action-hero credentials, many fans felt the character’s abrupt exit was underwhelming and poorly utilized.

Leslye Headland, the series creator, defended the creative decision, explaining that the bold opening was necessary to establish the tone of the show. Speaking to GamesRadar last year, she said, "From a filmmaker perspective, I just felt like with the cold open, especially with a new story, that you just have to go hard. You have to say the Jedi are going to take some Ls; you're not going to know who the good guys and the bad guys are. And it's going to feel very visceral."

She continued, "Even if you already know it's going to happen, it doesn't have to be a big gotcha moment. It just has to be a moment where the emotional and the physical — meaning the fights — melt together. Carrie-Anne, not just being an action legend, is also a phenomenal actress. She was able to play all those beats within the fight as well as, of course, her death scene."

Despite the artistic intent, fans quickly voiced their disappointment online. Many criticized the brevity of Moss’ role, arguing that Indara didn’t get enough screen time to truly develop. Others pointed out the misleading marketing, which heavily featured Moss in promotional content despite her character’s early demise.

Why yall make Carrie-Anne Moss get out of bed if you’re just gonna waste her like that #theacolyte pic.twitter.com/d58TJbacI1

— Boka MAX (Formerly “Boka”) (@BokaLaBoca) June 5, 2024

Reflecting on the response in a recent interview with Business Insider, Moss acknowledged she knew her character’s fate when she joined the project, but admitted she underestimated how much fans would react. "The reaction to it from the fans, I kind of thought, 'Wow, how did I not think of that?'" she said. "I mean, I serve the writers and the directors. It didn't cross my mind. But afterward, when people made a big deal about it, I was like, 'How did I miss that?' I didn't think it would be a big deal at all."

Although Indara appears in later episodes through flashbacks, the impact of her early death remained a point of contention. The controversy was further amplified when Disney canceled The Acolyte after its first season, leaving major storylines unresolved — including the highly anticipated live-action debut of Darth Plagueis.

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View 8 ImagesSince the cancellation, several cast members have expressed hope for a second season. Manny Jacinto, who played Qimir, confirmed that Darth Plagueis would have played a larger role in future seasons, though he remained cautious about spoilers, noting, "we could come back."

Lee Jung-jae, who portrayed Sol, said he was “quite surprised” by the cancellation, especially since Headland had already been envisioning a second season before the first even aired. However, Stenberg admitted she wasn’t shocked, citing the intense online backlash the show faced from the moment it was announced. "I'm going to be transparent and say that it's not a huge shock for me," she said. "I was in the bubble of my own reality, but for those who aren't aware there's been a rampage of vitriol that we've faced since the show was even announced. When it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it."

Jodie Turner-Smith, who played Mother Aniseya, echoed those sentiments, criticizing Disney for failing to support the cast amid a wave of racist and abusive online attacks. "They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f**king dog-piled on the internet with racism and bulls**t," she said. Despite the show’s uncertain future, Jacinto remains hopeful, calling a potential Season 2 “his life’s goal” shortly after the cancellation was announced.