The Acolytestar Dafne Keen has addressed the show’s cancelation, expressing pride in her character and her colleagues. A uniqueStar WarsTV show set during the High Republic Era, roughly a century before the Skywalker saga,The Acolyteproved remarkably controversial; it was subject to a review-bombing campaign before it had even released.The Acolytewas sadly canceledin August last year, the firstStar WarsDisney+ TV show to be officially canceled.
Speaking to Screen Rant’s Tessa Smith at the Saturn Awards,The Acolytestar Dafne Keen has admitted the cancelation was difficult - but insisted she remains proud of her colleagues.
“It’s definitely, I think, overwhelming for all of us. I think we were all very proud of what we created. I know I’m very proud [of my character], I was very proud of how my friend Amandla handled the situation. And honestly, I’m a huge nerd myself, so I was just really happy that I got to play a Jedi. Bucket list ticked.”
The Acolytesounds to be something of a bittersweet experience for Keen, who loved the chance to play a Jedi - even if she hated how things turned out. She singles out Amandla Stenberg, the show’s star, who was subject to a vehement backlash and spoke out against racism and sexism in theStar Warscommunity.
Why Was The Acolyte So Divisive?
The Acolytewas divisivebefore it had even released; the trailer released almost as many downvotes on YouTube as it did likes, an early indication of coming problems. To be fair, some were expressing legitimate disappointment with Disney, while others had genuine concerns about canon and lore. Butnot all criticisms were good-faith, and there was a distinct undercurrent of racism and misogyny- demonstrated notably when one YouTuber began counting the number of white faces in the trailer.
Problems only worsened during the show’s release, with a backlash that often seemed to verge on the ridiculous; one particularly controversial moment was a single scene featuring Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Jedi who (according to a 1999 CD-ROM ignored by George Lucas himself) shouldn’t have been alive. Stenberg released acandid response toThe Acolyte’s cancelationin which she called out the “hyper-conservative, bigotry, vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language towards us.“Keen is referring to this when she points to her friend Amandla Stenberg’s response to the cancelation.
Our Take On The Acolyte’s Backlash
The Acolyte’s cancelation was undoubtedly a low point for DisneyStar Wars, although it seems likely to be more related to disappointing viewership than to the vocal backlash. It’s easy to understand why the cast found the whole experience overwhelming, because they found themselves at the center of a social media backlash that cared little for the people caught up in it, and the cancelation left them reeling. It is, nevertheless, good to see that Keen remains proud of her tremendous performance.
