Leslye Headland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslye Headland
Headland at Sundance 2015
Born	(1980-11-26) November 26, 1980 (age 44) Maryland, U.S.
Occupation	Playwright, screenwriter, director
Years active	2007–present
Spouse	Rebecca Henderson ​ (m. 2016)​

Leslye Headland (born November 26, 1980) is an American director, screenwriter, and playwright. She is known for her work in both movies and TV shows. She directed the movie Bachelorette in 2012. She also helped create the popular Netflix series Russian Doll (2019–2022). This show earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for being an outstanding comedy and for its great writing. More recently, she was the creator and main writer (called a showrunner) for the Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte (2024). As a playwright, she has written several plays, including Assistance and Cult of Love. Cult of Love was her first play to be shown on Broadway in 2024.

Early Life and Education

Leslye Headland grew up in Maryland, a state in the U.S. She finished high school at Staples High School in 1999. After high school, she went to New York University. In 2002, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in drama from the Tisch School of the Arts.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Film and TV (2010–2018)

Headland began her career in television in 2010. Her first job was as a staff writer for the FX series Terriers. In 2012, she directed her first full-length movie, Bachelorette. This film was based on a play she had written earlier. Bachelorette was shown for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival, a famous event for new movies. The movie starred Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, and Rebel Wilson.

Her play Assistance first opened in 2008. It was later performed in New York in 2012. In 2013, a TV network bought the rights to make it into a show. Leslye Headland also wrote the script for the 2014 movie About Last Night, which was a remake of an older film. She directed episodes for several TV series during this time. These included Heathers, Blunt Talk, SMILF, and Black Monday.

Expanding Her Work in Television (2019–Present)

In 2019, Headland directed and helped write the Netflix series Russian Doll. She created the show with Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler. This was the first TV series Headland helped create. The show became very popular after it premiered in February 2019. Headland shared that it was important to create a show about a female character who explores big life questions. She wanted to focus on spiritual and existential ideas, rather than just romance.

Headland has also been involved in other projects for Netflix and HBO. She was set to direct a thriller movie called Tell Me Everything. She was also going to direct a film for HBO Films starring Will Ferrell. In 2019, she signed a deal with Fox 21 Television Studios. In 2023, it was announced that she would direct a movie based on the popular book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Star Wars: The Acolyte

Creator and showrunner Leslye Headland

On April 22, 2020, news came out that Headland would be the main writer and showrunner for a new Star Wars series. This series would be for the Disney+ streaming service. It was officially announced on May 4, 2020, which is also known as Star Wars Day. The series is called The Acolyte. It takes place during the last days of the High Republic era in the Star Wars universe.

In May 2024, it was reported that The Acolyte cost $180 million to make for eight episodes. It took four years to complete. Some people have called the budget "staggering" or "shocking." On Rotten Tomatoes, a website that collects reviews, the series received a 78% approval rating from critics. However, it had a much lower audience rating of 19%. Some news outlets reported that the series was "panned" by audiences. This meant many people gave it very low scores on public review sites. Other people argued that viewers were simply expressing their dislike for the show. The series was canceled after its first season. Reports suggested that viewership was not strong enough for a second season. The high cost of the show was also mentioned as a reason for its cancellation.

Theatre Work

As a playwright, Headland wrote a series of seven plays. Each play was inspired by one of the "Seven Deadly Sins." These plays include Cinephillia (lust), Bachelorette (gluttony), Assistance (greed), Surfer Girl (sloth), Reverb (wrath), The Accidental Blonde (envy), and Cult of Love (pride). Her Christian background helped inspire these plays. The last play in the series, Cult of Love, opened in 2018. She also wrote a play called The Layover in 2016. Her play Cult of Love is set to open on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Fall 2024. This will be Headland's first play to be shown on Broadway.

Influences and Themes

Leslye Headland grew up in a religious home. She enjoyed watching movies by the Marx Brothers and musicals from MGM. She learned a lot about directing from Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window. She realized how a director uses the camera as a tool. Later, while studying at New York University, she found comfort and artistic inspiration in David Fincher's Fight Club. She felt it showed how to make a joke about painful things.

Much of Headland's work explores how people create problems for themselves. She has said, "I'm attracted to stories about people who have created prisons for themselves and are trying to get out of them."

Personal Life

Leslye Headland married actress Rebecca Henderson in September 2016.

Works

Film

Television

Theater

As a playwright

Awards and Nominations

See Also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers