Leslye Headland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslye Headland
Headland in 2021
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 creator of movies, television shows, and plays. She is known for directing the films Bachelorette (2012) and Sleeping with Other People (2015).

She also co-created the popular Netflix series Russian Doll. This show earned her two nominations for a major television award called the Primetime Emmy Award. More recently, she was the creator and main writer for the Disney+ Star Wars series, The Acolyte (2024).

Besides film and TV, Headland is a successful playwright. She wrote a series of plays based on the Seven Deadly Sins. One of these plays, Cult of Love, was performed on Broadway in 2024.

Early Life and Schooling

Leslye Headland grew up in Maryland. After high school, she went to New York University to study drama. She graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

After college, Headland worked as an assistant at the movie company Miramax. Her experiences at this job later inspired her to write the play Assistance.

Career in Film and Television

Early Projects

Headland began her TV career in 2010 as a writer for the show Terriers. Her play Bachelorette was first performed in a theater in 2010. Two years later, she directed a movie version of the play. This was her first time directing a major film. The movie starred famous actresses like Kirsten Dunst and Rebel Wilson.

In 2014, she wrote the script for the movie About Last Night. The next year, she directed another movie she wrote, called Sleeping with Other People. It starred Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie. She also directed episodes for several TV shows, including Heathers and Black Monday.

Creating Popular TV Shows

In 2019, Headland co-created the Netflix series Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler. The show is about a woman who keeps reliving the same day over and over. Headland wanted to make a show that asked big questions about life, not just one about romance.

In 2020, it was announced that Headland would create a new Star Wars series for Disney+. This show, called The Acolyte, is set in a time period that had not been shown in other Star Wars movies or series.

The Acolyte was a very expensive show to make, costing $180 million for eight episodes. It received mixed reviews. While many critics liked it, it was not as popular with all audiences. The show was canceled after one season.

Career in Theater

As a playwright, Headland is famous for her "Seven Deadly Sins" plays. This is a group of seven plays, with each one based on a different sin. The plays include:

• Bachelorette (Gluttony)
• Assistance (Greed)
• Surfer Girl (Sloth)
• Reverb (Wrath)
• The Accidental Blonde (Envy)
• Cult of Love (Pride)

Her play Cult of Love was performed on Broadway in 2024. This was a major achievement in her theater career.

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

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