Star Wars show The Acolyte has signed up Margarita Levieva for a guest role.
Recognised amongst fans of The Deuce and Adventureland, and soon to be seen as Marina Litvinenko in the ITV miniseries Litvinenko, the Russian-American actress is now bound for a galaxy far, far away (via Deadline).
She joins the already confirmed ensemble of Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917) and Manny Jacinto (Top Gun: Maverick).
Related: The Matrix and His Dark Materials stars join new Star Wars show The Acolyte
Now shooting in the UK, Lucasfilm describes The Acolyte as "a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era," with an ex-Padawan reuniting with her Jedi Master to investigate a string of crimes.
Back in July 2021, creator, showrunner and executive producer Leslye Headland explained why her queerness will be reflected throughout the action.
"In the same way that the original Star Wars film, A New Hope, is about a young man living in Modesto, California, who doesn't want to take over his dad's hardware store... there's just no way that me being a queer woman is not going to be reflected in my work," she began.
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"I could try not to do it, but why would I? It just feels like a natural extension of what I do. I think that because storytelling, at its core, is always going to come down to either the personal or emotional through-line to your characters, your identity is important.
"And like I said, mine is just going to be in my work, whether I'm explicitly dealing with it or not, it's always going to be there."
The Mandalorian seasons 1-2 are streaming now on Disney+. Season 3 is in production. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the entire Skywalker Saga are available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, as well as on Disney+.
