Page 28 - Star Wars Insider #187

INTERVIEW: NICK GILLARD

the script, so you may have to disguise swung a sword in their life. They had to
that or make it obvious, depending on go onto a sound stage on their own, in “I’ve known Ewan a
the needs of the script. It’s also key to front of hundreds of people to do this long time, and with

understand the actor who’s playing the fight routine, so we designed the duels
part—their shape and how they move.” to match their shapes.” anything you teach
Gillard particularly enjoyed being him, within a week he’s
able to eschew the strictures of real- Duel Of The Fates
world fencing and swordsmanship to The last act of The Phantom Menace going to be better at

craft fighting styles specific to the Star features an unforgettable sequence it than you are.”

Wars galaxy. “That’s what was lovely that redefined lightsaber combat for
about the lightsabers; I could make up a whole new generation—the balletic
my own rules. It wasn’t a defi ned thing and furious three-way duel between
where you could only do this move Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Obi-
going in that direction. I made sure that Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), and
I wrote the rules of lightsaber dueling Darth Maul (Ray Park). “That’s where

first, so that it could fit anybody’s shape we scrapped everything that had gone
or ability. You could teach those skills to before,” explains Gillard. had to learn it in three weeks. It was
somebody who was large or somebody Like all the duels choreographed by toughest on Liam, though. He’d done
who was small.” the master stunt coordinator, this key a bit of sword fighting on things like
Across the three prequels, sequence was being prepared Rob Roy (1995), but he told me that
the lightsaber duels varied 02 Gillard long before shooting on The The Phantom Menace was the toughest
describes the
in scale, involving anything Phantom Menace commenced, fight work he’d ever done. Ray was a
duel between
from two participants to Yoda and and Gillard has nothing but gymnast—film work was brand new
several hundred. Gillard’s Dooku as praise for the commitment of to him at that stage in his career—but
“a very
flexible approach was therefore the three actors involved. he brought so much to it. The three of
correct
essential in coordinating major dance.” “I’ve known Ewan a long them together were perfect.”
fight sequences, such as the time, and with anything you Spectacle aside, for Gillard the true
03 Gillard
climactic arena battle in Attack trained 200 teach him, within a week he’s success of a fight sequence always comes
of the Clones. “We had to teach people for going to be better at it than you back to the story. “There’s a through
the Geonosis
around 200 people for the arena are. I truly mean that,” Gillard line,” he says, “because Qui-Gon teaches
battle.
sequence, and each of them was admits. “Everybody talks about Obi-Wan, and that leads on to Anakin.
different,” he recalls. “A lot of 04 The climactic Ray Park, but Ray’s done this It’s all in there.”
lightsaber
them were cast because of how his whole life—that’s what I From that defining battle between
fight of the
they looked, but they’d never prequels. brought him in for—and Ewan Jedi and Sith, right through to the

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