Lucy Lawless Says Mandalorian Fan Campaign to Replace Gina Carano Might Have Cost Her Star Wars Role

Lucy Lawless said she appreciates the fan campaign to get her on "The Mandalorian" after Gina Carano was fired -- but the effort may have had some unexpected consequences.

After Carano was axed from the "Star Wars" spin-off in February for a series of tweets Lucasfilm deemed "abhorrent and unacceptable," social media didn't waste any time putting Lawless at the top of their list to take over the role of Cara Dune. The call for Lawless eventually went viral.

The "Xena: Warrior Princess" alum, however, revealed the campaign may have interfered with her talks to be in a different "Star Wars" project.

“Well to be honest with you, I was already in discussions about something on -- it wasn't 'The Mandalorian' -- something Star Wars-affiliated," Lawless told Metro on Monday. "[The fan campaign] might have hurt me in some way, because then [Lucasfilm] couldn't hire me because it would seem to be pandering to … I'm just guessing here, I don't know anything."

She added, "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 was also concerned that hiring her as Carano's replacement would be more of a "political" gesture than anything to do with choosing the right actor to fit the role. "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."

Despite any negative repercussions, Lawless said she was appreciative of fans seeing her as a perfect addition to the "Star Wars" universe.

"But that's the way the world is and they meant it out of love, and I thank the fans for their fealty to me."

Although there has been no word of a replacement for the role of Cara Dune from LucasFilm, the third season of "The Mandalorian" reportedly started production on Friday.