Exactly four non-guest actors made this year’s Emmy ballot for Disney+’s The Mandalorian this year. One of them? Gina Carano.
It’s an eye-popping inclusion, since the actress was fired from the show by LucasFilm back in February, over what the company called “abhorrent and unacceptable” social-media posts. The statement confirming her departure from The Mandalorian went so far as to say that she would not appear in future Star Wars media, essentially cutting all ties. And further, Carano didn’t stay silent on the matter, either, criticizing her former employers right back.
Emmy submissions can be a tricky game—studios and networks decide who to put on the ballot based on contractual obligations, likelihood of receiving a nomination, and other factors. In some cases, actors appear on ballots even if the studios decline to put them forward. Brooke Smith is running her own campaign for ABC’s Big Sky this year, for instance, while multiple Game of Thrones actors including Gwendoline Christie and Alfie Allen were nominated a few years back after submitting themselves, without HBO’s backing.
However, Carano did not submit herself for consideration; Disney did. The studio didn’t hide her inclusion in its campaign for the show, either, as the actress started to pop up in FYC materials back in the spring. Further, Vanity Fair has learned that the situation took Carano’s team by surprise. “It was added by Disney unbeknownst to us,” a representative for Carano tells V.F. via email, of the ballot inclusion. The representative had first noticed Carano being featured in Disney’s FYC marketing via a poster, and was subsequently asked for a headshot (which was provided). “But [we] haven’t been involved in their campaign.” (Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
Carano, whose controversial tweets spread baseless claims of voter fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election and mocked the use of face-masks in the COVID-19 era, appeared in four of The Mandalorian’s eight season two episodes, making her ineligible for guest-acting categories. Pedro Pascal has been submitted as a lead actor for the show, and other supporting contenders on the ballot include Giancarlo Esposito and Temuera Morrison. The Mandalorian is expected to perform well with this year’s nominations, coming off a surprise outstanding drama series nod for its first go-round and stronger reviews for its second season. Its sheer popularity makes Carano something of a wild card here: If anyone in the television academy is particularly perturbed by the actress’s firing, an unusual opportunity to make that known has presented itself. Hey, it’s the Emmys: Stranger things have happened.
— How the 2021 Emmys Will Define One of TV’s Strangest, Most Important Years
— We’re Predicting the 2022 Oscar Winners. What Could Go Wrong?
— V.F. Portraits: Gillian Anderson, Hugh Grant, Jurnee Smollett, and More
— Are the Daytime Emmy Nominations Even Weirder Than Usual?
— Kate Winslet Has Now Entered the Most Thrilling Actress Race at the Emmys
— From the Archive: Who Stole the 2000 Oscar Statuettes?
— Sign up for the “HWD Daily” newsletter for must-read industry and awards coverage—plus a special weekly edition of Awards Insider.