Still reeling from Rise of Skywalker’s two-second introduction to the show’s first gay characters? Never scared. Leslye Headland has arrived to balance the Force.
Headland has signed on to show the mysterious thriller The Acolyte, one of the many new Star Wars series coming to Disney +. In a new interview with The AV Club, Headland opened up about how her own experience as a gay woman informed her take on classic movies and the importance of having a queer storyteller on the show.
“Well, I love this interview that Mark Hamill [did], where he says, “If Luke’s gay with you, then of course he’s gay,” Headland said of the so-called “queer reading” of Star Wars. “It’s such a strong and beautiful thing to say for him. I mean, I also use the example of Matrix. Neo is a character who, if you’re going through a coming out or transitioning experience, he’s a character that you like 100%, and you can completely follow that journey in some way. Confirmation of his status is something less important in my opinion, in the first film, because he tries to reach the audience on an almost subconscious or subconscious level, which I think is something very important with the fairy tales.
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“You have to feel like it speaks directly to you, no matter what you’re going through, at what point in your life you’re going through it,” Headland continued. “That being said, as a lesbian, every time I see gay or queer portrayal in the media, I scream with happiness. There is nothing like seeing this in the world.
As for bringing LGBTQ characters to Acolyte, Headland has made it clear that portrayal is important on both sides of the camera. “It’s a great conversation to have,” she said, referring to the current debate over appropriate representation. “Sometimes people think that the representation completely fair in the media – that is, in the story – compensates for the representation behind the camera, and that is, for me, even more important. Like I said, media portrayal is hugely important, but there’s also this kind of nuanced conversation that I wish more people had about the people behind the camera and behind the scenes. Because I think that’s really where you see the real change happening and the real seismic change in culture. “
So does that mean we can expect to see LGBTQ heroism in Sidekick or in future Star Wars releases? We feel pretty confident just like we do in Headland’s abilities. After achieving initial success with the Assistance and Bachelorette plays, Headland scored a major victory in creating the hit Netflix series Russian Doll.
The Acolyte will arrive on Disney + in 2022.
