Lucy Lawless says 'The Mandalorian' fan casting may have cost her another 'Star Wars' gig

Lucy Lawless was apparently in the running for a Star Wars role when her chances suddenly exploded like the Death Star. Chatting with Metro, the Xena: Warrior Princess actress revealed that fan support for her to replace Gina Carano as shock trooper-turned-New Republic Marshal Cara Dune on The Mandalorian may have done more harm than good.

"Well to be honest with you, I was already in discussions about something on — it wasn’t The Mandalorian — something Star Wars-affiliated," she said. "It might have hurt me in some way, because then they couldn’t hire me because it would seem to be pandering to…I’m just guessing here, I don’t know anything, but in some ways, it can be unhelpful, because if they pander to this fan group, then how are you going to pander to every other fan group, do you know what I mean?"

Lawless went on to claim that she "became political" despite having "nothing to do with the discussion." She doesn't blame the fans, though. "That’s the way the world is and they meant it out of love, and I thank the fans for their fealty to me," she added. "I haven’t thought about that since, so it hasn’t given me any pain, but that was my thought at the time, like, 'Ooh, this makes me look like a political appointment, and not an actress.'"

Carano was fired from the hit Disney+ series this past winter after the actress drew comparisons between American political views and the policies of Nazi Germany on social media. "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future," Lucasfilm said at the time. "Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable."

It's unclear if Disney plans to recast the role or simply let the character die offscreen. Cara Dune was expected to headline a Mandalorian spinoff entitled Rangers of the New Republic, though the project seems to be stuck in limbo at the moment.

"I was prepared at any point to be let go, because I’ve seen this happen to so many people. I’ve seen the looks on their faces," Carano said not long after she was terminated. "I’ve seen the bullying that takes place, and so when this started, they point their guns at you, and you know it’s only a matter of time. I’ve seen it happen to so many people, and I just thought to myself … ‘You’re coming for me, I know you are.' They’re making it very obvious through their employees who were coming for me, and so I was like, ‘I’m going to go down swinging and I’m going to stay true to myself.’"

The next live-action Star Wars project coming to Disney+ is The Book of Boba Fett, which revealed its key art and premiere date earlier today.