#Taryn Manning Says Karen Role Got Her Attacked ‘By White Women’

Taryn Manning seems to be regretting her decision to star in the new movie Karen, which is out Friday btw, because now IRL Karens are coming after her!

The Orange Is The New Black star opened up about the controversy in a new interview for Mr. Warburton magazine on Thursday. While discussing her new thriller, which went viral after that insane trailer dropped back in June, the actress admitted she’s been “attacked by white women,” explaining:

“I was attacked a lot by white women who felt that I had betrayed my own race.”

OMG. Of course a bunch of Karens would say that! As you must know by now, Karen is the nickname for any name-calling, intolerable, and usually racist behaving white woman. Y’know, the ones always wanting to see the manager.

Related: Watch Camila Cabello & Idina Menzel Perform With James Corden After THAT Viral Video!!

As to be expected, these women don’t love that Manning is starring as Karen White (LOL, what a great name) in a film that highlights her microaggressions toward her black neighbors. It looks bonkers!

Ch-ch-check out that wild trailer (below):

What’s almost crazier than that trailer is that Taryn has been taking the criticism seriously, telling the magazine:

“I was, kind of, taking it on head first and, like, responding to people, you know, ‘I’m so sorry you feel that way.’”

That tactic seemed to be futile though. Now instead she’s limited her Instagram comment section and made her Twitter private to prevent more Karens from sharing their unsolicited opinions.

Just to give you a sense of the messages the 42-year-old has been faced with, some harsh (and racist) responses to the trailer said:

“more mainstream antiwhite racism. im sure there’s no relationship between this and the countless unprovoked beatings we see of white people in the streets.”

“It’s just a tactic to further divide us. This movie is damaging and irresponsible.”

Oof. It would suck to be at the forefront of all that misguided negativity! While speaking to psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo during the interview, the Hustle & Flow alum suggested trolls need to “tread really lightly,” noting:

“You can’t just act that way.”

It’s true. People have been getting prison sentences for things like death threats over movies the past few years. No one thinks what they do online is real.

Related: Meet Colton Underwood’s Well-Connected New Boyfriend!

So, why did Manning even take on this controversial role in the first place?? She believes the movie could send a very important message to the public:

“A lot of people aren’t taking it well, but it’s something that needs to be brought to the forefront so we can start to change humanity, really.”

Oh, and if you’re wondering what might amount to the Karen Krazies, Dr. Lombardo explained that it’s called a “red zone” mindset, which supposedly happens with “high levels of stress when fear takes over rational thinking.” We can all succumb to these feelings, but some are better at keeping “it in check” than others, he continued:

“We all have a red zone it’s just learning how to keep it in check.”

Feeling sympathetic for the frustrated Karens of the world, the film star mused:

“Some people are hard-wired, maybe they grew up in a household where they never even really had a chance to think for themselves. It’s just this repetitive generational cycle that they’re in — there’s that. There’s maybe an experience with someone like that, that scarred their frontal lobes, or it’s just a bad day.”

LOLz! We love that she’s trying to rationalize the behaviors of racists — maybe it’s just what a good actor has to do to get into a role — but honestly, most of the Karens that have gone viral this past year seem to be having “a bad day” only mixed with a whole lotta racial bias and bigotry that was going to come out at some point. Not sure we can feel too sorry for them…

Thoughts, Perezcious readers?? Will you be tuning into Karen this weekend? Let us know (below)!

[Image via Flixville USA/YouTube & FayesVision/WENN]