The Acolyte Cast on New Lightsabers and Droids
Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, executive producer Leslye Headland, and the rest of the cast talk about the influences behind the new Star Wars series, developing their characters, and more.
As any Star Wars fan will tell you, the franchise is vast and rife with storytelling opportunities, so while we’ve gotten a lot of mileage — some might even say a bit too much — out of the Skywalker Saga, there are plenty of others to explore. One of those stories comes to us via The Acolyte, a new tale set at the end of the High Republic era, about a century prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The story focuses on a former Jedi master’s investigation into a series of murders, which brings him back into contact with a former protégé and a new threat.
Ahead of the series’ June 4 premiere on Disney+, RT correspondent Perri Nemiroff sat down with stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Charlie Barnett, and executive producer Leslye Headland to talk about the series, sharing details on new lightsabers, droids, and more.
Perri Nemiroff for Rotten Tomatoes: More often than not, when it comes to live-action Star Wars, we’re used to learning new things about the Jedi via the Skywalker era. You veer towards the High Republic; why did you make that choice and what new layers do you add to the Jedi by approaching it from that specific time period?
Leslye Headland: That’s a great question. I think that the time period we’re in, which is between the High Republic and the prequels, find the Jedi at a point in their power where they are completely unchallenged and they’re getting into a place of safety. They’re the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy, and they’re doing a very good job of that, if I do say so myself. A threat like [Amandla Stenberg’s] Mae is something they’re not prepared for. It’s something that, as high through the ranks as [Rebecca Henderson’s] Vernestra Rwoh, they have to essentially take care of it and not let the general public know that they are vulnerable in that particular way.
What I thought was really rife for drama was how does an institution, even a good one, respond to a small threat, but a serious one at that? So that seemed like fertile ground for me in storytelling.
Watch the video for the full interview with Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Charlie Barnett, and Leslye Headland.
