Kathleen Kennedy feels relieved stepping down from her Lucasfilm role. She left Lucasfilm earlier this year after a 14-year tenure at the head of the company. After her departure earlier this year, Dave Filoni took over as President and Chief Creative Officer, with Lynwen Brennan assuming the role of Co-President to oversee Lucasfilm’s business operations.

Months since her exit, Kennedy just gave her first detailed personal reflection. She spoke about navigating the expectations of longtime Star Wars fans while also addressing the industry’s leadership gap over artificial intelligence.

Kathleen Kennedy recently appeared at Bloomberg's annual Screentime event in Los Angeles as a featured speaker for a dedicated spotlight session. During an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Brad Stone, Kennedy reflected on the leadership decisions that defined her decades-long career at Lucasfilm. 

"I suppose there’s a bit of relief. These jobs are not easy and stepping into something like that that George [Lucas] had created was an incredible challenge,” she said at the event. 

After Lucas handed her the reins, Kennedy turned to the franchise’s creator for a little direction. She recalled asking if he had any material she could look through to better understand his storytelling approach, only for Lucas to point to her head and say that it was all there, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

She also spoke about AI in the industry, and that she is trying to absorb the new technology, even though she believes it can never replace humans. Kennedy’s tenure at Lucasfilm was highly profitable for Disney. Under her stewardship, Lucasfilm’s films grossed over $5.6 billion to $6 billion at the global box office. However, some of her later projects faced severe financial strain due to runaway budgets and poor reviews.

Kathleen Kennedy, The President Behind Lucas Films' Iconic 'Star Wars' Movies and More Replaced, Here's All We Know

She received a lot of backlash from particularly the Star Wars fans because of a clash over ownership of the franchise's identity, which the producer discussed in the interview too.

The backlash for Kathleen Kennedy began around December 2017 with Star Wars: The Last Jedi. When the Rian Johnson film arrived in theaters, it immediately divided fans. Those who took issue with its deconstruction of Luke Skywalker and its subversion of the story argued that Kennedy, as president of Lucasfilm, should have done more to ensure the trilogy had a cohesive narrative.

"Well, I think that that’s the challenge that all franchises [face], certainly something that’s been around now for 50 years. You’ve got people where this means a lot to them," Kennedy explainaed,.

"But at the same time, the challenge is to try to create something new, something original. So finding that balance is really the toughest thing," shared the former Lucasfilm president. 

After The Last Jedi damaged fans’ trust, the backlash never fully went away. Every subsequent misstep since then became another point of criticism against Kennedy’s leadership. Nonetheless, despite the share of highs and lows, Kennedy’s Lucasfilm tenure was certainly a colorful one.

Kathleen Kennedy Leaves Lucasfilm: Drops Timeline and Updates for New ‘Star Wars’ Projects

What do you think about Kathleen Kennedy's interview? Let us know in the comments!