Variety absolutely spoil us with this superb interview between two pillars of Star Wars – Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna – who sit down to discuss their time in the galaxy far, far away, their characters and their returns to those roles in Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi respectively.
LUNA: You were around 20?
CHRISTENSEN: When I first started with “Star Wars”? Yeah, I was 19.
LUNA: How did that feel back then? Were you still attached to this universe?
CHRISTENSEN: Yeah, big time. I loved “Star Wars,” and when the audition came around, it was exciting, but it felt just unattainable. I remember meeting George Lucas for the first time and that was thrilling. And then auditioning with Natalie Portman. It was a very long process, but the entire time, I never really thought that it would ever go my way, so I was just enjoying it. Then when I got the phone call to play the part, it was a life-changing thing.
CHRISTENSEN: I’d really love to hear about how you got into “Rogue One.” You were already a very established actor.
LUNA: It was the first time such secrecy happened around anything I was going to be part of. I was asked by my agent to meet someone for something that couldn’t be said on the phone. I went into a meeting in a restaurant that was completely empty. There was a guy sitting in the corner with a computer open, and this was Gareth [Edwards], the director. I sat down with him, and it was just us for four hours.
CHRISTENSEN: So you had no concept that it was “Star Wars” at all at this point?
LUNA: My agent said, “This might be ‘Star Wars.’” I guess she didn’t want me to get excited about anything. Gareth explained to me the whole film, and he said at the end, “I would really like you to play this role.” I said to him, “But I don’t see myself here. I love these films, but how do I fit here? No one has my accent. I’ve never thought this could be possible.” He basically said, “Since I saw ‘Y tu mamá también,’ I thought you could be great for a role like this. I want that kind of tone in the film. I want that realism, that feeling that it’s everyday life.” I never thought that a film like “Y tu mamá también” would get me the chance to be in the world of “Star Wars.”
- Hardcover Book
- Blake, Olivie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 592 Pages - 08/29/2023 (Publication Date) - Random House Worlds (Publisher)
