Page 115 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2020)

TALES FROM THE RED CARPET
the average movie blockbuster. “I was
fortunate to have so many scenes with
Laura. We were on set in our jeans and
T-shirts, rehearsing, and talking about
our different motivations. Just to take
that kind of time in such a huge movie
is pretty special. I was really happy with
that, and also, of course, very happy to
be working with Carrie again.”
ne of the busiest actors in
Hollywood today, Andy Serkis
Oreturns to the Star Wars saga
in The Last Jedi as the mysterious, much
theorized-about, Supreme Leader Snoke.
Though the character is irredeemably
malevolent, Serkis needed to find good
in him to play the role. “You have to
identity with him in some way,” he set
out. “I don’t believe in the concept of
pure evil, but I think that we’re all very
capable of incredible darkness, as well as
incredible creativity and love. So you
have to look honestly at yourself and
think: What part is there I can possibly
connect to? That’s your job as an actor.
You have to use your imagination to
find that part of you. We all have to
admit what we’re capable of. It’s very
important to try and humanize ‘evil
characters’ in some way. There’s a
vulnerability we tried to approach that
is born out of fear—fear that the First
Order is in a shoddy state, and not
being handled terribly well by Hux
and Kylo Ren. The thing about Snoke
is that there’s this public hologram
appearance he uses to scare people,
and then there’s the wizard behind
The Last Jedi alumni gather at the Royal Albert Hall.
Andy Serkis (Snoke) meets the fans.
the curtain. He is so frail and fearful
because he dreads this powerful
feminine energy that he knows is
coming to take him down.”
Having worked with many acclaimed
and award-winning directors, including
Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg,
Serkis was clear about what makes Rian
Johnson stand out as one of the greats.
“The greatest directors are visionary,”
he said, “but at the same time, they
are collaborative with actors. There
are some who are great visionaries and
world-builders, but when it comes to
performance, they don’t have a clue.
There’s no point in making something
look spectacular if you don’t care about
the characters.”
he Chairman of Walt Disney
Studios, Alan Horn, said he was
T all too aware of the seemingly
impossible task of maintaining a high
standard as the Star Wars saga continues.
“There’s an accumulated affection and
expectation with the fans as we go
forward,” he said. “George Lucas started
it, and J.J. Abrams did a wonderful job
of carrying it on. I’m thrilled with the
work of Rian Johnson. His vision will
last forever.”
What made Rian Johnson the perfect
choice to create the new film? Horn was
adamant in his response. “First of all, he
is a cinephile. He really knows film and
he has a great eye. He carries a camera
with him everywhere, and takes pictures
of everything. The film was mostly cast
before he took the picture. But he’s so
relatable and comfortable that I think
the cast really responded to him.”
Such was Johnson’s success on set,
he was snapped up to create the recently
announced all-new trilogy. Horn said
he is excited about where the director
will take the franchise in the future.
“We haven’t collectively decided what
that new trilogy will be, but it’s going
to be very exciting. The Star Wars
universe is broad and wide, and
there’s lots of opportunities to develop
characters that haven’t been seen before.
The good thing about Rian is, not only
did he direct the picture, he wrote it.
He’s a true auteur. Once his screenplay
is ready, we know that he will run with
the ball and score!”
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