The Acolyte is just over the horizon, and as per usual, Star Wars fans are snarling at each other’s throats. Plenty of fans have thrown their support behind director Leslye Headland and her upcoming project, but some of the loudest voices in the fandom are already calling her franchise debut out for being “woke” and pushing an LGBTQIA+ agenda.
One of the main criticisms centers on Headland’s former employer Harvey Weinstein. The Hollywood mogul was an industry leader for decades, but evidence of rampant sexual assault landed the 70-year-old producer with a 16-year sentence for rape in 2023. Now certain voices in the Star Wars fandom are claiming that Headland must have known what the former Miramax co-chair was up to, and think she should pay for her alleged involvement.
Did Leslye Headland Work for Harvey Weinstein?
Most careers are christened by several years of grunt work. Internships, apprenticeships, assistant, and entry-level positions are all prime – if low-paying – ways to break into an industry. Making one’s way up the ladder to director is no different. Like many directors, Headland paid her dues by working as an assistant for 6 years after graduating college in 2002.
She spent most of her time at Miramax acting as a personal assistant while dreaming of being a writer. One year of her Miramax tenure was spent as Harvey Weinstein’s personal assistant. Despite handling his day-to-day affairs, Headland claims she did not know about Weinstein’s abhorrent behavior – though she had been verbally assaulted by the producer – but that she wasn’t shocked when the allegations surfaced.
Merely associating with Weinstein has been enough to set off alarm bells for Star Wars fans, who claim that Headland must be part of the problem, if she wasn’t part of the solution. The accusations carefully leave out the well-known repercussions for those few women who did speak out before the #MeToo movement took Weinstein down.
“Woman was his personal assistant, key word being personal. She either knew or had suspicions at least. If not, we’ll then she wasn’t a good personal assistant was she.” One Redditor wrote on the r/saltierthankrayt, a subreddit that focuses on calling out toxicity within the Star Wars fandom.
“Hilariously, these same people would have been one of the people screeching about how horrible MeToo is. They don’t care about the evil that Weinstein did, it’s just another spear to throw in the culture war.” Added another.
Headland has been fairly candid about her stance. While she spoke highly of Weinstein before his arrest, more recent interviews have indicated an obvious power imbalance. Weinstein was a gatekeeper for plenty in Hollywood. Actors and executives alike worked for or alongside the Hollywood mogul for nearly 40 years.
The newby director told ABC News in 2019, that it wasn’t the sort of job people could walk away from. “You have to understand too, people didn’t quit that job… Everyone said this is how you get into this industry.”
Headland was part of a lucky few who ran in the same circles as Weinstein, but managed to avoid the “consensual, transactional sex” he used on more than 80 women. Weinstein was a sort of unbeatable boss, an obstacle to be overcome and not defeated. “When Jodi [Kantor’s] article came out, I was shocked by the reception to it, because I just thought men like that never go down.”
She even wrote a play, Assistance, about her experience, though the play is less about one specific boss and more about “Why was I [Headland] an assistant for six years?” While writing the script, Headland said she got constant notes wondering how the play could end. “No one said it to me, but what they were really asking was: How do you beat Daniel? [The play’s Weinstein stand-in.] But in my head I was like, ‘You don’t.’ That guy always wins.”
We’ve all had horrible bosses who make our skin crawl and put us in situations that make us uncomfortable, but most of us have never worked under someone who wielded as much power as Weinstein. For decades, he held Hollywood in his hand, ruining the careers of women and men who tried to stand up to him.
“It makes me so happy—even saying that has been hard for me, because I’m still scared of him, to be honest.” She told American Theatre in 2018. “…I think that’s why a lot of women still have not said anything. I am so grateful to those women for speaking their truths and for standing up for themselves.”
Luckily for the 80 brave women who came forward, Weinstein was charged for his crimes – none of which Headland was connected to. In 2024, Weinstein’s conviction was overturned proving Headland’s healthy dose of fear was never uncalled for and that even when he’s down, the mogul is definitely not out.
