‘The Acolyte’s’ Jodie Turner-Smith Claims Show Having A Black Lead “Is So Groundbreaking,” Says Star Wars “Is About A Man’s Journey”
John F. Trent
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The Acolyte actress Jodie Turner-Smith not only believes Star Wars is “very like patriarchal,” but she believes the upcoming show “is so groundbreaking” because it features a black lead.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Leslye Headland, Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, guest, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen Fernandez, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean Charles Chapman, and Joonas Suotamo attend The Acolyte panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
While at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London, England Turner-Smith took to the main stage with her co-star Rebecca Henderson where she discussed her role in the show.
RELATED: ‘The Acolyte’ Actress Jodie Turner-Smith Claims “Star Wars Is Very Like Patriarchal”
She began saying, “My character, you know, she’s a powerful leader. She’s a powerful leader in a very woman-centered world, which I was very excited to kind of be in that because I feel like Star Wars is very patriarchal.”
She continued, “So it was kind of cool to have this sort of woman-centered figure.”
“And you know she’s really sort of going through a struggle because I mean that’s Star Wars, right? She’s really kind of like in this sort of quandary and that’s sort of her journey is to to kind of go through this struggle between two ideas,” Turner-Smith added.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Dafne Keen Fernández, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean Charles Chapman, and Joonas Suotamo onstage during the studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
She would add to this idea that the show is woman-centered while speaking with ScreenRant telling the outlet, “We don’t ever really see these more like martiarchal energies.”
She then said, “I think we already kind of started to center women in this world with the latest movies, and we’re seeing it as well in a lot of the other TV shows too. But I think it’s often very much about a man’s journey. And this is less about that.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Jodie Turner-Smith attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
Turner-Smith then relayed, “We have a black lead. And that alone is so groundbreaking, and amazing, and encouraging, and exciting as a fan. And when it’s someone as talented as Amandla, as an actor that was very exciting. That’s made me wanna sign up for it because I respect her so much as an actor, and she’s talented.”
“You guys have no idea what’s coming,” she concluded.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: The cast of The Acolyte (L-R) Lee Jung-Jae, Charlie Barnett, Rebecca Henderson, Dafne Keen, Amandla Stenberg, Leslye Headland, Manny Jacinto, Dean-Charles Chapman, Jodie Turner-Smith and Joonas Suotamo attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
Anyone with a brain can figure out what’s coming, this show is gonna ramp up the wokeness factor that is already ravaging Star Wars to the next level.
In fact, showrunner Leslye Headland made it abundantly clear she did not include anyone who was ideologically opposed to her to be part of the show’s writing room.
Headland told AV Club, “First of all, I really wanted people that were different than me. I certainly didn’t want a room full people that were just agreeing with me vehemently.”
She then clarified, “Not ideologically, but artistically—people that kind of had different writing styles or were interested in different things, all that kind of stuff.”
“But there was a certain intention, in terms of putting together a room that I felt like were people that I hadn’t been in a room with before, if that makes sense. I don’t think I can go much further into that, but like, ‘Oh, I haven’t had this experience yet, and because I think it’s weird that I haven’t had this experience yet,’” she elaborated.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Leslye Headland onstage during the Acolyte studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
The official description for The Acolyte states, ““The Acolyte” will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suoatamo, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Margarita Levieva.
The show is expected to arrive on Disney+ sometime in 2024.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Dafne Keen Fernández, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean Charles Chapman, and Joonas Suotamo onstage during the studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
What do you make of Jodie Turner-Smith’s comments about Star Wars and The Acolyte?
NEXT: Leslye Headland Provides Insight Into Her Upcoming “Female-Centric” Star Wars Series The Acolyte
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