'Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker': JJ Abrams open up on the amazing chemistry between the cast
With ‘Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker’ soon upon us, the cast and director JJ Abrams sat down at the ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ themed area at Disneyland for a livestreamed Q&A session with the fans. With a year-long gap following the events of ‘The Last Jedi’, the returning characters have all had a chance to get to know each other, and that new group dynamic is something Abrams has explored to get to the heart of what makes a ‘Star Wars’ movie.
Responding to a question regarding the shift in character dynamics in the one year time jump between movies, JJ Abrams spoke of how little interaction some of the characters have had with each other through ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’, using Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) as examples.
He says that one of the fun things about the new movie is seeing how those relationships have evolved offscreen, with the characters having gotten to spend more time with each other.
“These characters get to be in scenes together, and you get to really feel how time has passed,” he said. “...they’ve developed the kind of relationship and there’s a great spark and dynamic between all of them.”
He went on to talk about one of the strongest aspects of the original ‘Star Wars’ movies, and how he attempts to bring that back in ‘Rise of Skywalker’.
“To me, the most fun about this movie is getting to see the whole gang in an adventure together,” he said. “...to have that group adventure, that was always sort of at the heart of what ‘Star Wars’ was for me.”
Adding to the group dynamic in their own ways are newcomers to the ‘Star Wars’ film franchise, Keri Russell and Naomi Ackie, playing Zorii Bliss and Jannah, respectively. Keri Russell jokes that starring in a ‘Star Wars’ film has definitely brought her “street cred.” She also talks about the impact that ‘Star Wars’ has had on modern-day culture, referring to the franchise as “our version of mythology, for so many generations.”
“It’s one of those true stories that you can read into whatever you need to feel, or learn from,” she went on to say. “It’s just a true mythology story, and that’s what I love about it.”
For Naomi Ackie, ‘Rise of Skywalker’ is a dream come true. “I remember watching ‘Force Awakens,’ and seeing Daisy and John and being like, ‘Oh my gosh. What must that feel like?’” she said. “It’s one of those things that you don’t really ever think to even dream about doing,” she said. JJ Abrams noted that it was remarkable how easily Naomi clicked with the rest of the cast.
Check out the full video below:
‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ releases in cinemas on December 20.