Rolling Stone:  Jedi Confidential

As a fair warning, the first few paragraphs of the Rolling Stone feature are somewhat politically slanted, comparing the events depicted in the sequel trilogy so far with what is happening in the real world today. Once you're past that part, there are a few jewels in the article.

First, you get to read Daisy Ridley dropping an f-bomb. I enjoyed it. I won't re-print it here, but beware, as the article has a few off-color words sprinkled throughout - all from Ridley.

Rian Johnson wants people to know that the movie is both funny and dark. Rian received some inspiration from the "morally ambiguous" Battlestar Galactica reboot, which is ironic, as the article points out, since George Lucas had sued the original show as a rip-off of his work.

That's one thing I hope people will be surprised about with the movie. I think it's very funny. The trailers have been kind of dark – the movie has that, but I also made a real conscious effort for it to be a riot. I want it to have all the things tonally that I associate with Star Wars, which is not just the Wagner of it. It's also the Flash Gordon

We know that Kathleen Kennedy has been gushing about watching Rian work, which is probably the reason he was awarded a trilogy of his own. The actors seem to have a lot to say about how great it was working on set with Rian as well. Adam Driver, who already has been quoted saying that this chapter will introduce ideas never seen before in a Star Wars film, said:

To pick up where someone left off and carry it forward, but also introduce a vocabulary that hasn't been seen in a Star Wars movie before, is a tall order and really hard to get right. He's incredibly smart and doesn't feel the need to let everyone know it.

Gareth Edwards (who has a cameo in the film) had compared the experience of directing Rogue One to playing with the toys he had when he was a kid. Rian Johnson seems to take a similar approach. Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose Tico, has already been singled out by Johnson. He said yesterday in a tweet that for all the new characters introduced in the film, including those played by Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro, he is most looking forward to fans meeting Rose on screen. About working with Rian, Tran said, "It felt like we were playing the whole time."

On Carrie Fisher, Johnson said that her role in the film was complete as intended, and nothing needed to be edited or changed.

We didn't end up changing a thing. Luckily, we had a totally complete performance from her.

From this, it would seem that JJ Abrams will have to be the one to address the absence of Leia in Episode IX.

Mark Hamill points out that while he feels some frustration that his acting career may have been hurt by his over-exposure as Luke Skywalker, nothing caused him any long term "anguish." On his singular scene in The Force Awakens, Hamill said he bought into the idea after he realized that Luke is mentioned so often in the film that it led to a moment that was "certainly the greatest entrance of my career."

Johnson mentions that he had an early idea of Luke being blind by the time of the sequel trilogy. The idea obviously never came to fruition, but he clarified it was before he learned about Chirrut Îmwe's Rogue One character. That aside, Hamill infamously had leaked that he was not a fan of the direction that Johnson was taking the character. Hamill says, "This is not a joyful story to tell...my portion of it. Johnson explains:

We then started a conversation. We went back and forth, and after having to explain my version, I adjusted it. And I had to justify it to myself, and that ended up being incredibly useful. I felt very close to Mark by the end. Those early days of butting heads and then coming together, that process always brings you closer.

Hamill discusses his feelings regarding Fisher's death, and gives a little insight that maybe his real life isn't as grand as everyone thinks.

Sometimes," he says, softer than usual, "you think, 'I'd rather have Luke's life than mine.'

Adam Driver goes into some detail about how he plays Kylo Ren, and what attracted him to the character. He seems to thrive in the ambiguity ("gray"-ness, if you will) of it all.

It's not like people weren't living on the Death Star. Isn't that also an act of terrorism against the hundreds of thousands of people who died there? Did they not have families? I see how people can point to examples that make themselves feel they're right. And when you feel in your bones that you're supported by a higher power on top of that, and you're morally right, there's no limit to what you'll do to make sure that you win. Both sides feel this way.

There's an interesting bit from Daisy Ridley about her being one of the very few people on Earth that know who her parents are, having been told this by JJ Abrams. According to the article, Ridley implies that Rian Johnson may also be aware of this answer, although he has claimed otherwise.

In any case, Ridley loves the speculation: Her favorite fan theories involve immaculate conception and time travel.

Interestingly, Ridley indicates that she is up for completing the sequel trilogy, and then walking away from Rey forever, which is counter to recent comments made by Kathleen Kennedy that future Star Wars stories would explore Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8. When pressed to clarify, Ridley confirms

No. No, no, no. I am really, really excited to do the third thing and round it out, because ultimately, what I was signing on to was three films. So in my head, it's three films. I think it will feel like the right time to round it out.

Check out the full article, here.

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