Gina Carano Calling Pedro Pascal To Testify In Mandalorian Case
Former MMA fighter and Deadpool villainess Gina Carano calls Pedro Pascal, Bear Grylls, and former Disney CEO Bob Chapek as witnesses in her ongoing lawsuit against the House of Mouse, which claims that Disney discriminated against her by turning a blind eye to politically charged social media posts and comments from her male co-star—among several other claims.
Pedro Pascal’s Involvement
This star-studded cast of witnesses could help Gina Carano prove that Disney violated California labor laws when they booted her from The Mandalorian—Disney’s Pedro Pascal-starring flagship show—due to her personal views, which are protected by the First Amendment. The lawsuit also claims that Disney discriminated against her gender by allowing the left-leaning male actor to air his own political views without punishment. If she’s able to prove any of these claims, Disney might be facing some serious legal issues.
The Line In the Sand That’s Being Explored
Assuming that Disney truly fired Gina Carano from The Mandalorian—which they didn’t do, at least not openly—over political views the company doesn’t approve of, but haven’t done so for the male actor whose political views the company does approve of, constitutes gender discrimination, employment discrimination, and political favoritism. For anyone wondering who the male co-star was, Pedro Pascal made a social media post in which he compared the former president Donald Trump to Hitler.
Carano Will Need To Verify Her Claims
Gender discrimination and employment discrimination are crimes under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents employers from discriminating against, among other things, gender, and political beliefs—though the latter depends on the jurisdiction.
But all of this depends on whether Gina Carano can prove that she was really fired from Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian, and Disney maintains that her character was no longer included in the Star Wars universe. Disney also asserts that they have the right provided by the First Amendment to disassociate themselves from Carano’s political viewpoints.
Alleged Political Favoritism In Favor Of Pascal
While Gina Carano compared the current political climate in the US to Nazi Germany and seemingly took actions that were perceived as dismissive of the challenges faced by transgender and non-binary individuals, Pedro Pascal compared Republicans to Nazis and expressed his support for the members of the LGBT+ community.
So, while both Carano and Pascal expressed opposing opinions on the same matter, Disney decided to punish Carano for her right to voice her opinions, indicating a level of political favoritism at the company.
However, US District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett denied Disney’s motion to dismiss the case because the First Amendment defenses Disney argued don’t make the company immune under California anti-discrimination laws.
Disney’s Damages Determined During Upcoming Trial
This effectively means that Gina Carano’s request for Pedro Pascal, Bear Grylls, Bob Chapek, Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Lynne Hale’s testimonies in the case still stand.
If Disney is found guilty of these charges, the company will have to pay millions in compensatory and punitive damages, back pay, attorney fees, and several other penalties, considering that ousting Gina Carano from the Star Wars universe cost the former MMA star millions of dollars. Please note that this is a developing story, with the trial date set for September 25, 2025.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
