PASADENA – J.J. Abrams and the cast of “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” are spending most of this weekday talking about a movie they can’t actually talk about. As is the case for the last three “Star Wars” films, the press has not screened the picture beforehand and spoilers are verboten. That doesn’t mean there isn’t much to discuss in the span of 10 minutes, but it does open certain doors. And important ones at that. Perhaps the number one question the American public has on its mind when it comes to the “Star Wars” universe at the moment. Yes, you know it’s coming.
Does Baby Yoda appear in “The Rise of Skywalker?”
Abrams who has been distracted by communications on his phone pauses, smiles, and replies, “Well, I don’t want to say yes or no. Apparently Oscar [Isaac] already said no. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t all have Baby Yoda in our hearts.”
Of course, Abrams had more to say about “Rise of Skywalker” itself and, thankfully, it wasn’t anything that could be construed as throwing his predecessor, “The Last Jedi’s” Rian Johnson, under the bus.
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The Playlist: Now that you’re finished it there must be a sense of relief?
JJ Abrams: That it’s over, it’s finished, you have it off your back sort of? We were working on it for so long, like nonstop, breakneck the whole time. So, it’s a bit like getting off the treadmill.
I know you were not expecting to return for the third film, but over the years had there been sequences, ideas that would just pop in your mind that you thought maybe, “Oh, if I could ever do another ‘Star Wars’ movie, I’d want to do something like this?”
Not really. I mean, there were a lot of things that Larry Kasdan and I talked about back in the day when we were working on “Force Awakens,” but projecting ahead where the trilogy might go. But that was all just theoretical because that is what we’re supposed to do the other films. But once Kathy [Kennedy] called, I found myself having opinions about things I didn’t think I would [have].
I know there have been conflicting reports that there wasn’t really a plan of where to go for the new trilogy. But even when you sat down to do “The Force Awakens” initially there must have been some sort of rough outline, right?
Yeah. Larry and I had a lot of specific ideas, but we realized there were a lot of things we couldn’t fit into episode seven.
Right.
We thought episode eight might and would, and in some cases did play some of those things out. And then ideas for what would happen [in] nine. Those were two movies away and we were still prepping ‘Force Awakens’ which at the time wasn’t even called ‘Force Awakens.’ And, and then when Rian was brought on, he started to work on his script before we were even shooting “Force Awakens.” So, we talked, we had meetings and he wrote [and] took the story in the direction he did. When I read the script, what was fun for me in my theoretical mind was that the ending that we had talked about , in the general shape we had it, could still happen. But it was, again, at the point it was two movies where we were just starting to shoot ‘Force Awakens.’ It wasn’t that there was a Bible we were adhering to. There was a story that we began and had already set where we’d go. And all of a sudden Kathy calls and said, “Would you consider coming back into episode nine?” And I thought, “Oh, this is a chance to actually realize some of those things that we talked about.”
It must feel much longer for you because you left the franchise, worked on a bunch of other stuff, and then came back, but it’s been five years since you first met Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. They were mostly at the beginning of their careers at the time. How do you feel like they’ve grown as actors? What surprised you, if anything, about working with them a second time around?
Well, I knew that this particular picture is pretty ambitious and the emotional scope is as ambitious as the visual scope. And that is to say that the main character, Daisy, goes through some pretty extreme and extraordinary circumstances. And I never really looked at Daisy as a super, young actress, she was just a really accomplished actress. Now, when I look at scenes from ‘Force Awakens,”‘ she was a baby. She just seems so brand new and so young. And to see her having matured even in these four years or five years into an actress that was not only able to do all these things that I knew that she’d have to do but exceed that go, go far beyond it, really deliver a performance that I think is as nuanced and rich and as deep and moving as any movie I’ve seen this year. I think she’s extraordinary in this film.
And what about John? How had he changed?
Very mediocre. [Laughs.] O.K. John, I can’t say enough about him. I mean, his dramatic skills, his comedic timing, the fact that he’s doing an American accent also on this, his passion for this galaxy and also his heart. He’s funny, he’s got humor because he’s got humanity and he’s just got this incredible spirit. So combining him with Oscar, combining those two with Daisy, it really is a special thing to have those three get to be on an adventure together in the movie.
Social media can be such a positive thing and a negative thing.
Sure.
And after the last movie, there was a loud, vile campaign going on against some of the actors and against the film because it wasn’t what they wanted. From where you sat, were you disappointed in that? Were you surprised that it got to such a level that it did?
I mean, I feel like “Star Wars” is something that can, did, and should bring people together. And is something that families and friends, it doesn’t matter what your politics are, it doesn’t matter what race, what sex. That everyone can come together and enjoy the ride. And I feel like what you’re describing is in no way unique to “Star Wars.”
No.
I mean, it is an age of outrage and vitriol. And when people don’t like something, the level of cruelty is seemingly automatically turned up to high and it’s become sport in a way. So, it’s like who can say the most insulting thing to the other political party, to the person who doesn’t have the same sexual preference, who doesn’t have the same gender, whatever it is. And it feels like that has spilled over into everything including “Star Wars.” It’s not to say that everyone’s opinion isn’t right, that every opinion doesn’t matter, but there is a level of decency in social media, far beyond anything involving “Star Wars,” that seemingly thrives on cruelty. And that’s a far larger societal issue than any one film or franchise.
You’ve had huge success though in three longstanding franchises where 90% of the fanbase love it and adore everything you’ve done. Do you feel like you’re making them for the fans? Do you feel like you’re making them for yourself?
Taking on a movie like this requires that you understand and accept the responsibilities involved. Making a movie that stands on its own, ending a trilogy, I mean, three trilogies, telling a story that wraps things up, has the sense of notability, gives each character importance in a moment. Gives the main character a really strong through-line, is visually spectacular, is surprising, is satisfying. I mean, all the requirements, you have to know. And at the same time, you have to forget every single thing I just said and you have to just say, “What is a delightful story? What makes me laugh? What makes me feel?” Because if you can’t enjoy yourself, the characters can’t and the actors won’t be funny. The movie won’t make you feel. You won’t have an emotional experience in this, you won’t have fun, you won’t be surprised. It’s a very strange dichotomy where you have to know and understand and embrace all you inherit. And then at the same time completely let go of it so you can be spry and delightful. Otherwise, I hear the actors talk about like how much fun it was on set, but that was because my and our job was to create that environment for them. Meanwhile, [screenwriter] Chris [Terrio] and I are wrestling over how we’re going to make the story do all these things.
You just signed this massive deal with WarnerMedia and you’re about to enter a whole other world of IP to potentially explore. Back in the day, you pitched on a “Superman” project. Is that something you’d like to jump into? Tackle DC heroes or is there anything in the Warner Brother vault that you’re just excited about or potentially looking at?
There are some things we’re talking about, but because I literally just finished this movie, everything has been a bit on hold because I have to get to the other side of this. But there is no specific project that is being discussed at the moment.
Your company, Bad Robot, is very prolific, you guys make a lot of stuff. How do you balance working on a movie like this and also just checking on all the other stuff with your company? Is it like an escape in a way? Like, “I need to think about something else for 10 minutes?”
Well, first of all, my co-CEO is my wife. And she’s there which makes it so much easier than if it were anyone else. I can’t imagine what that would be like. Secondly, we have some incredible people who run like TV. This guy, Ben Stephenson, he’s the greatest, who’s running TV. We just hired Hannah Minghella, she’s going to be running features. She’s fantastic and we couldn’t be luckier. We have our game division, we have music, we have people who are really good at what they do who are doing their job. Without them, I couldn’t possibly go off and be sucked into the vortex of something like this for two years. But having said that, I’m really excited about the WarnerMedia deal, Katie and I both are, and the opportunity to create new worlds, new stories, new characters for them is the thing that excites me the most.
I feel like I’ve never heard this answer from you as a director. What’s your favorite part about directing? Is it being on set? Is it being in the editing room?
Well, being on set is the greatest because anything is possible when you’re there in real-time with the actors. It also means that the writing is done or at least done enough that you’re there shooting something. The editing room is both the most thrilling thing because the thing that you can do with rhythm, with choice of shots, with using something intended for one thing but using it elsewhere. I mean, it’s magic, but it’s also a truth-teller. Like you couldn’t remember what it was, what you shot, what you thought you got, and there you are in the editing room and you’re cursing out the director and the director is you. You know? “Oh, why did he, I mean, why did I?” [Laughs.] But I have to say, growing up, the idea of being involved in movies or television was literally the dream profession. So, the fact that I get to do it at all, there isn’t an aspect of this that I don’t consider myself lucky to have.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” opens nationwide on Dec. 20.