13 Things We Learned from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Press Conference
This weekend, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens press conference unfolded in Los Angeles and it was a sight to behold. There were stations dedicated to the Star Wars component of Disney Infinity 3.0, stations where you could play Star Wars Battlefront, multiple photo opportunities, a demonstration of Jakku Spy, a Google Cardboard experience available now in the Star Wars app store, props and costumes, and even Star Wars: The Force Awakens-inspired ice cream (available in “Light side” and “Dark side” flavors). It was like a giant space carnival dedicated to a movie we’re outrageously excited about.
One of the highlights was, of course, the press conference that was moderated by Mindy Kaling (of Inside Out) and featured co-writer/director J.J. Abrams, co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, and stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o, and Carrie Fisher. It was so cool, in fact, that we decided to run down the 13 things we learned during it.
1. This Was Not Just “Some Job”
Kaling set the tone for the press conference by first asking Abrams, “Aren’t you rich? Why would you want to do this?” To which he responded, “This is a project that I felt incredibly lucky to be asked to be a part of. I think I speak for all of us when I say that this was not just some job.” Abrams elaborated: “This was not something any of us took on because it was a gig that was available. This was a true passion.” That was the feeling we got throughout the day: that everyone involved with the film couldn’t believe that they got to be a part of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
2. Princess Leia’s Sense of Humor Is Expressed Through Her Hair Style
When Kaling asked Fisher if Princess Leia had a sense of humor, the quick-witted actress (who is also a hilarious and best-selling writer) said, “She would have to, wearing those hair styles … I mean that with love.” She then went on to describe her hairstyle in the new film as looking like the back-end of a baboon. “It’s the hair that really makes you funny,” Fisher said.
3. Adam Driver Revealed Some Things About Kylo Ren (Sort Of)
Adam Driver, who plays the villainous (and still highly mysterious) Kylo Ren, was quizzed about the single-minded intensity of his character. He joked that, “[Kylo Ren]’s a great cook. He’s a Scorpio.” But then spoke about the rough-around-the-edges aspects of his character (epitomized by his somewhat thrown-together lightsaber). “I think he’s very unpolished and unfinished, and I think what J.J. and Larry did, keeping all the vocabulary that everyone is familiar with, but adding a kind of recklessness is very cool, since people associated the Dark side with being in control and organized.” Abrams jumped in: “One of our thoughts was to try and do something a little different.” Then Kasdan, who crafted the character with Abrams and Driver, added a bit more: “That’s why we were so excited about Adam playing this part. There’s never been a character like Kylo in the saga. You expect this to be some evil genius but what you’re getting is all the contradictions and conflict that any one of us can feel at any moment. I think that’s what’s unique about what Adam has done.” Later, someone in the audience asked Driver about living up to the series’ legacy of villainy and he said that they weren’t aiming for the typical, mustache-twirling bad guy angle. “I remember us saying that he wasn’t bad or evil, but was something more three-dimensional,” Driver explained. “Because that seemed more dangerous and more unpredictable—someone who feels morally justified in what they’re doing, instead of something being evil for the sake of it.” Well said. Also, scary!
4. Lupita’s Character Had A Relationship with Yoda
Kaling asked Lupita Nyong’o about her character Maz Kanata, a space pirate who has since become a bar owner, if she had a previous relationship with Yoda. (This was based mostly on a Cheers analogy Kaling was making.) “He was my first love,” Nyong’o joked. Then Abrams, who is a life-long Star Wars devotee, chimed in, saying, “I do believe that Maz and Yoda have crossed paths.” See, there’s truth in every joke!
5. Daisy Ridley Listened to a Mulan Song to Get Pumped Up
In one of the most adorable moments of the entire press conference, Kaling quizzed Daisy Ridley on what her character, scavenger Rey, would listen to as a “walk-up song,” like a professional boxer, and Ridley answered “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the Disney animated classic Mulan. “I used to play it in the trailer before coming out,” Ridley explained. “It’s iconic!” Yes, yes it is.
6. Abrams Said the Film Couldn’t Be “A Nostalgia Trip”
Kasdan worked on both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and Abrams is a Star Wars super fan, so when someone asked what they wanted to maintain from the original trilogy for the new film, Abrams was quick to give an eloquent response. “When Kathy Kennedy and Larry and I started talking about what this was, at the very beginning, the fundamental question was: what do we want to feel? And that was the beginning of the discussion,” Abrams said. “The answer was – the sense of discovery, exhilaration, surprise. The comedy that George Lucas put into Star Wars was the thing that made me love the movie. If you look at all the things that he got right, it’s impossible and stunning. So for us it was about knowing why we were telling this story and to give people that sense of possibility and magic that we all felt while watching the original Star Wars.” Still, Abrams was quick to point out that this was a different and altogether new tale. “This is all to tell a new story. This is not a nostalgia trip. We had to go backwards to go forwards,” he said. “The fabric needed to be what we were familiar with in order to tell a new story.” And we are so ready to experience that new story.
7. Rey Definitely Embodies Girl Power
Someone asked Fisher and Ridley about the “girl power” message of the movie and Fisher responded with, “I am the beginning of girl power.” Ridley, for her part, said that, “I hope Rey is something of a girl power figure.” She then went on (she was careful not to say too much about the plot): “I guess there’s no other way except to say that she will have impact in a girl power-y way. She’s brave and she’s vulnerable and she’s so nuanced. She doesn’t have to be one thing to embody a woman in a film. She transcends gender. She’s going to speak to men and women.” Well said.
8. Abrams Wasn’t the One to Fight for Secrecy
The question of secrecy was brought up, and whether or not it was hard for Abrams, who is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to his productions, to let go of some of the footage in the trailers. “Contrary, actually,” Abrams said, somewhat surprisingly. “My nature is to be secretive and I was thinking there’d be huge fights. But Disney was arguing to not ruin, not reveal, and not show. I’m very grateful that Disney took the lead in terms of keeping things quiet.” Abrams then asked that those of us who see the movie, even a few days early, could maintain that secrecy for fans that would watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens later down the line. And anyone who saw The Empire Strikes Back in theaters knows the value of keeping a lid on Star Wars-related surprises.
9. The Expanded Universe Didn’t Factor In Much
In the years since Return of the Jedi came out, countless video games, novels and comic books have been written continuing the saga of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. These have since been designated as non-official Star Wars lore. And the creative team behind The Force Awakens didn’t source them either. “We were aware and respectful of the canon but we wanted to tell a story that interested us and delighted us and we didn’t want rules or parameters,” Kasdan explained. “We could do anything we want with this story – what would be the most fun to do on this page and the next page and the page after that? So that was the guiding principle more than the canon or anything that had come before.”
10. There Are No Ewoks In The Force Awakens
The question of whether or not Ewoks, the teddy bear-like alien race that featured prominently in Return of the Jedi, would make a return for The Force Awakens, was brought up … and promptly shut down. “No, there are no Ewoks in this film,” Abrams confirmed. “But there are a lot of them in Return of the Jedi.”
11. There Is No Post-Credits Scene
Another thing missing from Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a post-credits sequence a la the Marvel movies. “All the scenes are actually in the movie,” Abrams quipped.
12. Captain Phasma’s Costume Started As a Design for Kylo Ren
When asked about the hardest costume to finalize for the movie, Abrams noted that it was the look for antagonist Kylo Ren. It turns out that the instantly iconic, silvery look for Stormtrooper leader Captain Phasma, was cooked up during the trial and error phase for Kylo Ren. “Over the course of that, the costume for Captain Phasma was designed and it was pitched as a Kylo Ren costume,” Abrams said. “We realized, Oh my god this is one of the greatest costume designs ever! And she became one of my favorite characters in the movie.”
13. Carrie Fisher Begged Abrams For a Role for Her Weird Dog
Anyone who saw Carrie Fisher’s gut-busting appearance on Good Morning America knows that she has an incredibly adorable, incredibly weird-looking dog named Gary, who could easily fit into the bizarre cast of characters of Star Wars. Fisher said, “I begged J.J.” In the same response she claimed that, “J.J. didn’t like having him on set.” To which Abrams, in a fit of mock outrage, exclaimed, “That’s not true!” Fisher then responded, in an equally excitable tone, “IT is! I’m going to go get Jerry!” And Abrams shot back: “His name is Gary!” And then everyone died laughing.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in a galaxy near you on December 18.
