With The Acolyte coming under heavy attack from certain corners of the fandom before anything other than a handful of teasers and trailers have been released, Kathleen Kennedy has spoken with The New York Times about the diffculties she believes women face in the Star Wars arena.
“My belief is that storytelling does need to be representative of all people. That’s an easy decision for me.
Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying. 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.”
Leslye Headland also touched on that very topic, echoing the thoughts put forward by Ewan McGregor a couple of years back when Third Sister Reva actress Moses Ingram came under fire from the darkest corners of the fandom.
“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some ‘Star Wars’ storytelling in the past has been. 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.”