Gina Carano claimed in her lawsuit that Disney unfairly fired her for her political views, while similar remarks by male co-stars did not lead to any action against them. She claimed the allegedly discriminatory action cost her several important contracts.
The actress named Pedro Pascal, Jon Favreau, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Bear Grylls, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and publicity engineer Lynne Hale as potential witnesses in a July 26 joint filing (per The Hollywood Reporter). Disney said it could bring forward Lucasfilm vice president Carrie Beck and Disney executive Paul Roeder to testify in return.
Carano called Favreau to testify whether there were any confirmed plans for a ‘Star Wars’ spinoff with ‘The Mandalorian’ actress as the lead, and Grylls to reveal if a ‘Running Wild’ episode with her was pulled from broadcasting following her firing.
Alleged Discrimination Against Different Political Views
The document also cited key questions to be addressed in the upcoming trial, like whether Carano was still under contract when Disney terminated her in February 2021. It also touched on the alleged discrimination between her and male colleagues like Pedro Pascal.
The Cara Dune actress claimed that Pascal went untouched despite sharing offensive posts against Republicans unlike her. One of the posts she put forward as example compared Donald Trump to Hitler, while another compared the US immigration policies to German concentration camps.
Disney responded to the claims by arguing that it had the right to part ways with Carano to protect its image and policy promoting ‘respect,’ ‘integrity,’ and ‘inclusion’ under the First Amendment. The court rejected the company’s wish to dismiss the suit, though.
The trial between Gina Carano and Disney will take place on September 25, 2025.
