Kylo Ren's Humiliation And Other Tales From The Star Wars Dark Side

The Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson talks to EW regarding Kylo Ren, Han Solo, Captain Phasma, Chewbacca, and Maz Kanata.

From EW:

KYLO REN:
“He’s definitely been knocked off base,” says The Last Jedi writer-director Rian Johnson says. “The defeat that he had at the end of The Force Awakens, but even bigger than that, his huge defining act which, spoiler alert, is the murder of his father… that’s the more interesting thing to dive into. How has he dealt with that in his head? Where is he at in terms of that act and what does that mean for him?”

HAN SOLO:
Kylo Ren’s murder of Han Solo also makes Rey’s contempt for him much more personal. He’s no longer just a random madman terrorizing the galaxy. Rey has a grudge: He stole from her the father-figure she’d been searching for her whole life.

“She just doesn’t understand Kylo,” Daisy Ridley says. “When all she wanted was parents, why would a person who has parents do that? It’s so beyond comprehension, it’s ridiculous. So she has grief for the loss and then there’s anger. To be honest, she couldn’t understand doing something like that – let alone to your parents.”

CAPTAIN PHASMA:
“Gwendoline Christie is one of my favorite people, and you get to see her in action which I think is going to be really fun,” Johnson says. “That character is just so damn cool looking. Like, okay, let’s see what we can do with her. Let’s put her in action and see what happens.”

CHEWBACCA:
“Chewie’s doing all right. It’s tough. It was obviously a big loss for him, but, you know, he’s Chewie. He’s resilient,” Johnson says. “He’s got broad Wookiee shoulders, and he also has a new mission. He’s got Rey, and she’s someone that Han, to a certain extent, handed the keys to. So I think that that helps.”

MAZ KANATA:
“She has a smaller part in this than she has in The Force Awakens, but it’s a really fun part, and Lupita is so awesome,” Johnson says. “I’m just happy I got to work with her.”

Related Stories: