10 Things I Learned from the Cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The highly anticipated eighty entry of Star Wars is finally here. I was lucky enough to see The Last Jedi on Monday and have already written and posted my detailed and spoiler-free review. However, before I saw the film, I was invited to the film’s press conference where most of the cast attended and offered to answer some of our questions while talking about the film without giving anything away. The event featured Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Laura Dern (Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), and Director Rian Johnson.
Below are 10 things that I learned from the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi during their forty-five-minute press conference which took place in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 3, 2017.
10. Oscar Issac feels that because The Last Jedi is the second film in this new trilogy that Rian Johnson was able to “delve into the story” since the characters and tone were already set up by JJ Abrams in the Force Awakens. “I think what Rian’s done so incredibly well is that he’s challenged every single character, including the droids with like the biggest challenges they’ve ever faced, and that’s how you’re able to really get to learn about them, on all sides of the spectrum, from light to dark.”
9. When asked about the number of female actors involved in the new Star Wars trilogy, Gwendoline Christie mentioned that she was “utterly delighted to see that there was a more representative selection of actors” even before she was even cast to play the role of Captain Phasma
8. Unlike the original trilogy, The Last Jedi is not told through the eyes of the Droids. When asked why Johnson responded with “different story which had different needs, and so we are much more kind of with our leads the whole time.”
7. Mark Hamill said that Rian Johnson pushed him out of his comfort zone when he was filming his scenes in The Last Jedi. Hamill added that he was intimidated and terrified” to be returning to the role but was grateful to be working with Johnson.
6. Daisy Ridley says that shooting The Last Jedi felt very similar to shooting smaller independent films. “The sets tend to smaller. We shot in Prague instead of London, but it’s like that family thing, so going into something could have been really scary and being surrounded by people that make it feel really comfortable for me is like the only thing you can ask for.”
5. Rian Johnson says that Boyega is the biggest Star Wars fan he knows. When asked to talk about it, John Boyega pointed out that he is “still trying to get over it” and that he still can’t believe he is part of it. He added that “every day was a new set. The practical effects doubled in this movie, the sets were bigger and it was always exciting and amazing.
4. According to Daisy Ridley, her character Rey is deeply affected by the death of Han Solo. “Everything’s moving forward but she needs some time to ask questions and wonder what it is that would have led someone to do something like that, and also how that directly affects the world around her and she’s worried about Finn at home, so I would say she’s maybe a little more affected, at least emotionally on screen than the others.”
3. Kelly Marie Tran believes that Carrie Fisher will always be an icon, not only as Princess Leia but also as Carrie Fisher. Tran said that she looked up to Fisher because she was always “true to herself” while being “unapologetic.”
2. Adam Driver loved acting alongside Domhnall Gleeson in the film. When asked about their relationship, Gleeson pointed out that there was a huge amount of “bitchy infighting” which he found to be a lot of fun. “It was really fun to see them kind of really hurt each other from the inside as well as from the outside. The united front thing is difficult for them sometimes.”
1.Laura Dern says that Rian Johnson is ” one the most brilliantly subversive filmmakers” that she has ever had the great pleasure to have worked with. Dern adds that she was “moved by the fact that he (Johnson) really wanted her strength to first lead with a very deep femininity and to see a powerful female character also be feminine is something that moves away from a stereotype that’s sometimes perceived in strong female characters must be like the boys. I thought that was a really interesting choice to get to witness.”
