Leslye Headland, creator of the new Disney+ series The Acolyte, says it’s “really reductive” to label an all-female witch coven as lesbians and urges viewers to pay more attention to the story.
In an interview with reporter Brian Davids for the Hollywood Reporter, Headland — former personal assistant to Harvey Weinstein — says she is “proud” to inspire LGBTQQIAAP2S+ fans but says critics are seeing “queer, with a capital Q, content” where she did not intend it.
The showrunner said a viral video of a journalist asking her if The Acolyte is “arguably the gayest Star Wars by a considerable margin” has been blown out of proportion.
We are happy to report that #TheAcolyte is “arguably the gayest #StarWars” yet. 🌈 Happy Pride Month! 😉 pic.twitter.com/3oJSykc4Kq
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) June 4, 2024
“I was surprised by the question. Amandla [Stenberg, the “non-binary” series star] and I just burst out laughing because that’s our knee-jerk reaction to being asked that, but to be honest, I don’t know what the term ‘gay’ means in that sense,” Headland told the outlet, adding, “I don’t believe that I’ve created queer, with a capital Q, content.”
The Hollywood Reporter article concedes that Stenberg’s dual-role characters have two mothers and no father:
Perhaps the most queer-adjacent story point is that the 24-year-old Aniseya twins were born to two moms, Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva), whom plenty of internet commentators are calling a lesbian couple. The two led an exiled coven of witches on the planet of Brendok, where they practiced their own interpretation of the Force, known as the Thread.
It’s eventually implied, not confirmed, that Aniseya used her brand of Force powers to impregnate Koril with the twins, but for Headland, their relationship is more circumstantial.
Headland, however, claims the two mothers are not exactly a romantic couple.
“They’re in a matriarchal society. As a gay woman, I knew it would read that their sexuality is queer, but there also aren’t any men in their community,” she explains.
“So a closeness between the two of them would be natural. It seemed plot-driven.”
File/ Rebecca Henderson and Leslye Headland attend the UK Premiere of Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Acolyte” at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 28, 2024 in London, England. (Kate Green/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK)
She adds: “I would say it’s really reductive to call them lesbians. I think it means you’re not really paying attention to this story.”
The Acolyte, which began streaming at the beginning of the month, is the latest Disney Star Wars series that prioritizes female heroines and other diverse casting choices.
As Breitbart News reported, Disney cast gender “non-binary” actress Amanda Steinberg in the lead role, while also casting male-to-female transgender YouTube personality Abigail Thorn in a supporting part.
The show’s emphasis on identity politics has led some critics to dub it “The Wokelyte.”
