Lucasfilm executive Kathleen Kennedy is aware of the sometimes toxic Star Wars fandom, especially when it comes to women. The franchise has had some strong female leads such as Natalie Portman and Daisy Ridley, and Kennedy is sticking up for them.
Ahead of The Acolyte‘s premiere, Kennedy defended showrunner Leslye Headland in an interview with The New York Times. She acknowledged the struggle that women go through when entering the series. But she stood by her guns and defended her decision to hire Headland.
“Operating within these giant franchises now with social media and the level of expectation — it's terrifying,” she said. “I think Leslye has struggled a little bit with it. I think a lot of women who step into Star Wars struggle with this a bit more.
“Because the fan base being so male-dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal. My belief is that storytelling does need to be representative of all people. That's an easy decision for me,” she added.
Kathleen Kennedy is the president of Lucasfilm. She most notably oversaw the production of the recent Star Wars sequel trilogy and spin-off films such as Rogue One and Solo and series such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and more. Kennedy was also involved in the fifth and final Indiana Jones film, Dial of Destiny.
She also co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and her now-husband Frank Marshall. Her producing career began with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She subsequently produced the Jurassic Park series.
You can't always get what you want
Leslye Headland also weighed in. Headland is no stranger to toxic fandom responses and opened up about them.
“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some Star Wars storytelling in the past has been,” Headland said. “I've felt it myself. I stand by my empathy for Star Wars fans. But I want to be clear. Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism[,] or hate speech… I don't consider a fan.”
The Acolyte creator concluded by realizing that she can't please everyone with her decisions.
“You're thinking, ‘This is what people want from Star Wars. This is what people don't want,'” Headland explained. “It can mess with your head. During the creative process, I had to give myself the forgiveness, as an artist, to fall off the razor — as long as I got back up. That was my promise to myself.”
Star Wars' female leads
The Star Wars franchise has always had a place for women. Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia in the original and sequel trilogies. The recent sequel trilogy featured the likes of Rey as the driving force and supporting players such as Kelly Marrie Tran's Rose Tico. Moses Ingram played Reva Sevander in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Acolyte is led by Amandla Stenberg and features the likes of Lee Jung-Jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and Jodie Turner-Smith in its ensemble.
Coming up, Daisy Ridley will return as Rey Skywalker in an untitled Star Wars film. She previously took a hiatus from the franchise after The Rise of Skywalker came out in 2019.
The Acolyte will premiere on June 4.
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