‘I Know I’m Very Proud’: The Acolyte’s Dafne Keen Shares How She Reacted When Her Star Wars Series Was Cancelled

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As a die-hard Star Wars fan, I’ve found myself caught between anticipation for potential Season 2 of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” and lingering disappointment over the abrupt cancellation of “The Acolyte.” Despite my excitement building up for the former, it would be dishonest to deny that the sudden ending of the latter still weighs heavily on my mind. Unlike its fellow Disney+ Star Wars shows like “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which were designed for multiple seasons, “The Acolyte” was intended to have a multi-season run but fell short due to its untimely cancellation. Just a month after the series finale aired, Daphne Keen, who portrayed Jecki Lon in “The Acolyte,” has shared her personal reaction to this unexpected turn of events for the High Republic-set series.

This past summer proved to be quite momentous for Keen as she embarked on a journey to another galaxy, and simultaneously resurrected the character Laura, also known as X-23, in the movie “Deadpool & Wolverine”. Remarkably, this film was the 34th Marvel production in sequence and swiftly garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. Regrettably, the series “The Acolyte”, which is accessible via a Disney+ subscription, did not fare as well and has since ended. Keen openly shared that the cancellation of this series was challenging for her, but she remains proud of the collective effort she and her fellow cast and crew poured into it. As she expressed to ScreenRant:

Without a doubt, it feels incredibly impressive for everyone involved. We all took great pride in what we accomplished. Personally, I am extremely proud of my character, and I admired how my friend Amandla handled the situation with grace. To be honest, I’m quite a geek myself, so getting to play a Jedi was an absolute dream come true – check that off the bucket list!

Although Disney and Lucasfilm haven’t explicitly explained why The Acolyte was cancelled, it appears that low viewership and budget overruns may have been the primary factors. However, Dafne Keen hinted at a significant amount of racially charged criticism, with Amandla Stenberg, the lead actress, bearing the brunt of it. Stenberg, who portrayed Osha and Mae, revealed less than two weeks after the cancellation that this decision wasn’t entirely unexpected for her. Jodie Turner-Smith, who played Mother Aniseya, expressed disappointment that Disney didn’t defend the show’s talented cast, finding it particularly unfair.

Reflecting on her brief stint, Keen expresses gratitude for having been part of the Star Wars universe. Regrettably, if The Acolyte had been renewed, she wouldn’t have been available for it due to her character’s demise at the hands of Manny Jacinto’s villainous character, The Stranger. Unfortunately, this also means we won’t discover The Stranger’s link to Darth Plagueis, who made a brief appearance in the series finale.

Just as Dafne Keen expressed, she got the chance to portray a Jedi, marking an achievement off her wish list. If she discloses any other items she’s ticked off that list in the future, we’ll make sure to keep you informed. In the meantime, don’t forget that Andor Season 2 is coming up next on the upcoming Star Wars TV series schedule, set to debut on April 22nd.

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2025-02-05 16:07