The Acolyte introduces a coven of Force-user witches, and actress Jodie Turner-Smith explains why their leader Mother Aniseya has a grudge against the Jedi.
Trailers for Star Wars: The Acolyte have teased the role of “Mother Aniseya,” (Jodie Turner-Smith) the leader of a coven of Force-user witches. Mother Aniseya’s connection to Force warrior “Mae” (Amandla Stenberg) is at the center of The Acolyte’s story; in our interview with Jodie Turner-Smith, the Star Wars actress teased Aniseya’s problem with the Jedi Order – and why it’s hard to call her a “villain”:
“Well I think just having a philosophy that says instead of… light or dark… it’s about individualism is very mother-like, right?” Turner-Smith said when describing her character. “That’s definitely what your mom’s going to be encouraging: that belief that you’re not just one thing.”
In fact, Mother Aniseya is carrying on a story thread that Star Wars High Republic era has been examining for years now. The “Convocation of the Force” in the early High Republic era was an entire council of different Force religions, of which the Jedi were just one part; Aniseya’s coven seems to be one of those religions (or a splinter group of an older one) that has very different views on Force use:
“I also think Mother Aniseya represents a philosophy that is more about connection to life, and less about connection to dogma,” Turner-Smith explained. “I think she’s resistant to the idea of institution. And she just wants to create a world that is safe for those like her. That means testing institution because institution is saying that what she is is wrong. And she doesn’t believe that at all.”
As for Mother Aniseya’s relationship with the Jedi? Jodie Turner-Smith was calm in her breakdown, but clearly the lines of tension are apparent:
“I just think that Mother Aniseya thinks that institution is not correct in [being] who she is. So that means that if a Jedi believes in what the institution is touting, then that Jedi is believing something that is not correct.”
