Leslye Headland says Michelle Yeoh’s 1st film was a major inspiration for the game-changing The Acolyte for Star Wars

Although it has proven extremely divisive among Star Wars fan base, The Acolyte is gaining momentum as it approaches the inevitable conclusion of its first season. Created by Leslye Headland, the series primarily follows twins Osha and Mae, who find themselves on opposite sides of the Force.

However, in the sixth episode of the series, the dynamic changes when Osha meets Qimir and is encouraged to see how he can harness the power of the Force. In an interview, Headland spoke about the dynamic between Osha and Qimir, citing a Michelle Yeoh film as a major inspiration, and here’s what she had to say about it.

Leslye Headland reveals how Michelle Yeoh Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Inspired The Acolyte

Leslye Headland created The Acolytewhich generally received negative reactions from critics and fans. However, the series managed to shock some viewers by setting up the possible plot twist of Osha turning to the dark side in the sixth episode.

In a conversation with Collider, Headland spoke about the changing dynamic between Osha and Qimir. In doing so, Headland admitted to taking inspiration from the iconic 2000 martial arts drama film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragonstarring Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh in the lead roles.

The intentional parallel is that they are equals and their relationship is earned through mutual vulnerability, not intimidation or manipulation.

Headland made the above statement, referring to the relationship between the characters Lo and Jen in the film.

The showrunner explained that the relationship had a major influence in the writers’ room for The Acolytewith the writers referencing it repeatedly, particularly when developing the dynamic between Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto).

Leslye Headland analyzes Qimir’s dynamic with Osha in The Acolyte

In the same interview, Headland also analyzed the dynamic between Qimir and Osha, especially after the cliffhanger ending of episode 6, which sees Osha embrace Qimir’s ideology and wear his helmet.

Osha’s inner conflict matches her ideology, and yet they are on opposite ends of the spectrum, just as she and her sister began at the beginning of the series.

Headland made the above comment, explaining how Osha’s inner conflict led her to align with Qimir’s ideology in the first place.

Meanwhile, despite the obvious parallels to the Kylo Ren-Rey dynamic from the sequels, Headland has insisted that she didn’t draw inspiration from it when designing the dynamic between Qimir and Rey.

Additionally, Headland added that she tried to stay true to the characters and reiterated that Osha’s embrace of Qimir’s ideology was not an act of manipulation. Rather, she saw it as a rebuilding of their spiritual foundation since both had been rejected by the Jedi in the past.

The Acolyte is broadcast on Disney+ and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is available on Max.