Leslye Headland, creator of the new Disney+ series Acolyte, She said it was “grossly simplistic” to label an all-female coven of witches as lesbian, and urged viewers to pay more attention to the story.
in interview With reporter Brian David The Hollywood Reporter, Headland, the former personal assistant to Harvey Weinstein, said she was “proud” to be an inspiration to her LGBTQQIAAP2S+ fans, but critics said they were seeing “queer content” in her that was not her intention.
The showrunners said the journalist told her Acolyte “Arguably the gayest Star Wars movie by a significant margin” is an overstatement.
I’m happy to say that, #Acolyte “Probably the gayest #Star Wars” not yet. 🌈 Happy Pride Month! 😉 pic.twitter.com/3oJSykc4Kq
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) June 4, 2024
“I was surprised by that question, Amandla. [Stenberg, the “non-binary” series star] “And I just started laughing, because that’s a knee-jerk reaction when you’re asked that, but to be honest, I don’t know what the word ‘gay’ means in that sense,” Headland told the outlet, adding, “I don’t think I produce queer, capital Q content.”
of The Hollywood Reporter The article acknowledges that Stenberg’s dual-role character has two mothers but no father.
Perhaps the story’s most queer aspect is that the 24-year-old Anyseyah twins are the children of two mothers, Mother Anyseyah (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Mother Korir (Margarita Levieva), who many online commentators have dubbed a lesbian couple. The two led a coven of exiled witches on the planet Brendok, where they practiced their own interpretation of the Force, known as “the Thread.”
It is ultimately suggested, but never confirmed, that Anissaya used the Force to give Korir twins, but to Headlund, their relationship is more circumstantial.
But Headland insists the two mothers aren’t necessarily in a relationship.
“They live in a matriarchal society, and as gay women, they knew their sexuality would be interpreted as queer, but there are also no men in their community,” she explains.
“So their rapport was natural. It seemed story-driven.”
FILE/Rebecca Henderson and Leslye Headland attend the UK premiere of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Acolyte at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, England on May 28, 2024. (Kate Green/Getty Images courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK)
She added: “I think calling them lesbians is really dismissive. I think it shows we’re not paying enough attention to the story.”
Acolyte“Star Wars,” which began streaming earlier this month, is Disney’s newest Star Wars series, which places an emphasis on female heroines and diverse casting.
Breitbart News reported that Disney has cast “non-binary” actress Amanda Steinberg in the lead role and male-to-female transgender YouTube personality Abigail Thorne in a supporting role.
The show’s focus on identity politics has led some critics to call it “The Wokelyte.”
