Kathleen Kennedy On ‘Star Wars’ Woke Complaints: “Storytelling Does Need To Be Representative Of All People”
Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy has heard the noise from some Star Wars fans unhappy with the franchise’s direction.
During an interview with the New York Times for upcoming Disney+ series The Acolyte, Kennedy admitted that female filmmakers “struggle” with fan backlash.
Leslye Headland is the showrunner for The Acolyte, which some fans have already dubbed The Wokelyte for having a diverse cast. That’s despite the series not having premiered yet.
“Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying,” Kennedy said. “I think Leslye has struggled a little bit with it. I think a lot of the women who step into Star Wars struggle with this a bit more. Because of 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.”
Headland also spoke on the fan hate she’s received.
“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some Star Wars storytelling in the past has been,” she 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.”
Headland cited the difficulty in pleasing everyone with more than a half-century worth of lore.
“You’re thinking, ‘This is what people want from Star Wars. This is what people don’t want,’” Headland said. “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.”
