Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy says woman in ‘Star Wars’ suffer more abuse because fan base is “male dominated”

nme.com:

Star Wars suffer more harassment “because of the fan base being so male dominated”.The franchise has long fielded misogynistic and racist comments from online trolls, with both Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran previously leaving social media as a result of the abuse.Now, ahead of the release of the new Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte, the same issue has repeated itself, with some fans referring to the show as “The Wokelyte” due its diverse cast.Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte is set long before the events of The Phantom Menace (1999) and charts the emergence of the Dark Side during the High Republic era.“Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying,” Kennedy said, in a new interview with The New York Times.“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.“My belief is that storytelling does need to be representative of all people.

That’s an easy decision for me.”Headland, who directed Sleeping with Other People and also co-created the hit Netflix comedy series Russian Doll, is the first woman to serve as showrunner on a Star Wars series.

The Acolyte introduces a number of new female characters and a diverse cast featuring Amandla Stenberg, Carrie Ann-Moss, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen and Manny Jacinto.“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some Star Wars storytelling in the past has been.