The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland discussed why it was so important for her as a queer woman to get to tell Star Wars story.

Headland spoke to AV Club about her upcoming Star Wars mystery thriller and what the universe has meant to her since she first became obsessed with it as a kid. She also dove into being a lesbian showrunner in a franchise that has rarely represented queer characters—or creators.

"I love that interview that Mark Hamill [did], where he says, 'If Luke is gay to you, then of course he’s gay.' That’s such a strong, beautiful thing for him to say. I mean, I use the example of The Matrix as well. Neo is a character that, if you’re going through an experience of coming out or transitioning, that is a character that 100% appeals to you, and you can completely track that journey in a way," Headland said.

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Headland went on to discuss why queer representation matters to the LGBTQ+ community, especially the fans of universes like Star Wars. "You have to feel like this is speaking directly to you, regardless of what you might be going through, at what point in your life you’re going through it," Headland said. "That being said, as somebody that is a lesbian, every time I see gay or queer representation in media, I scream with happiness. There is just nothing like seeing that out in the world."

For Headland, creators and companies have a unique opportunity to change the landscape: "To have the power, when you’re creating media, to just put in certain types of people that maybe aren’t necessarily in normal mainstream content or media is just… I know that for people who don’t identify that way, it doesn’t seem that important, but to us, it’s huge."

"It’s a beautiful conversation to be having," Headland continued, before diving into why it's equally important to have diverse voices behind the camera as well as in front of it. "Sometimes people think that representation just completely within media—meaning within the story—makes up for representation behind the camera, and that’s, to me, even more important. Like I said, media representation is wildly important, but there’s also this kind of nuanced conversation that I wish more people were having about people behind the camera, and behind the scenes. Because I think that’s really where you see real change occur, and the real seismic shift in culture."

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The Acolyte is currently in development for Disney+ from Leslye Headland and Rayne Roberts. The Star Wars television series does not have a release date.

Source: AV Club