Town & Country Magazine has published an extensive profile on the Keri Russell ahead of her debut in The Rise Of Skywalker as Zorri Bliss. As part of the profile Russell touches on what attracted her to the role, and J. J. Abrams comments on why he selected her, having previously worked with her on Felicity.
Russell On The Appeal Of The Role:
For Russell, though, what was appealing about the role of Zorri, beyond the sheer magnitude of the institution that is Star Wars—and the potential to impress her middle-schooler son—was that anonymity. “There was a lead for it already,” she says, referring to Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, an intergalactic scavenger turned Resistance warrior. “So it was very attractive, the idea of not being the lead. The mask—I felt safe in it. And tough. No makeup. You don’t have to be embarrassed by anything.”
J.J. Abrams On Russell:
At work, this guilelessness serves Russell well. “I’ve never met an actor who is more committed to the job of acting, who finds so distasteful so many of the other things that are required of her,” Abrams says. “And she really wrestles with having to be herself representing the work she’s doing. It’s one reason why having this mask was a strangely comforting thing for her.” On the job her shyness transforms into something profound, more like reserve and nuance.
Take the link for the full profile, or pick up the December 2019 / January 2020 issue of Town & Country.
