Star Wars boss denounces “personal” attacks by a “male-dominated” fan base on female stars

The boss of “Star Wars” denounces sexism in the franchise’s fan community.

In an interview with the New York Times, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said that many women involved in “Star Wars” have to deal with “personal” attacks from male fans of the series.

“I think a lot of the women who are involved in ‘Star Wars’ struggle with that a little more,” the producer said. “Because the fandom is so male-dominated, sometimes they get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”

Kennedy brought up this point while discussing the upcoming Disney+ show “The Acolyte,” the first “Star Wars” series created by a woman, Leslye Headland. Kennedy said it was “terrifying” to “work within these huge franchises now, with social media and the pressure of expectation,” and Headland was “struggling with it a little bit.”

Headland, for her part, told the Times that she tries not to draw too much attention to the debate surrounding her show, which has already faced negative criticism online for its diverse cast. Amandla Stenberg stars in the series, a prequel set before “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.”

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Although Headland told the Times she understands “how frustrating some of the ‘Star Wars’ storytelling has been in the past,” she called out fans who engage in hate speech. “I want to make that clear,” she said. “Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism or hate speech … I do not consider a fan.”

Kennedy also told the Times: “My belief is that stories have to be representative of all people. That’s an easy decision for me.”

Moses Ingram and Kelly Marie Tran were harassed after their “Star Wars” roles

In recent years, numerous actresses from the Star Wars franchise have been harassed online after appearing in the franchise. Several of them are people of color.

In 2022, Moses Ingram received racist comments and direct messages while starring in the Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” prompting the series’ lead actor, Ewan McGregor, to come to her aid.

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“We love Moses,” he said at the time in a message shared on the official Star Wars X account. “And if you send her bullying messages, you are not a Star Wars fan in my eyes. There is no place for racism in this world.”

Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, also left social media after being harassed online.

“It wasn’t their words, but that I began to believe them,” Tran wrote in a 2018 essay for the New York Times. “Their words seemed to confirm what I had already learned growing up as a woman and a person of color: that I belonged on the margins and in spaces and counted only as a minor character in their lives and stories.”

Daisy Ridley also left social media in 2016 after debuting as Rey in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She has since returned to Instagram.

Ridley will return as Rey in an as-yet-untitled Star Wars film, which will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. It will be the first Star Wars film to be directed by a woman.

“It’s now 2024 and it’s time for a woman to step up and shape history in a galaxy far, far away,” Obaid-Chinoy told CNN.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Star Wars’ stars face sexism from their fans, says Kathleen Kennedy.