7. Expect to Go “Deeper” Into Rey’s Storyline
Gad obviously peppered Ridley with even more questions, until she finally gave some kind of explanation. “I can say in ‘The Last Jedi,’ we go deeper into Rey’s story. Rey has a certain expectation as to who she might be, from Luke. As people know, it’s difficult to meet your heroes because it might be different than what you expect,” Ridley said. She then added that it was harder to inhabit the character again because, with ‘The Force Awakens,’ she had no idea what to expect and no preconceived notions of what she meant to people. “Coming back the second time, I felt a certain amount of responsibility. Luckily, Rian’s writing is beautiful and the film is great and we had the best time.”
8. Ridley is Incredibly Humble When it Comes to Rey’s Popularity
When Gad asked about what it was like going from a regular human being to an icon, Ridley blushed. “What I will say is people kept congratulating me on that and it was really all of the story people created Rey. I was lucky enough to embody that.” She said she is deeply affected by the stories she hears of how the character has inspired them, before Johnson chimed in, comparing her creation of the character to Carrie Fisher’s creation of Leia. “That’s very gracious of Ridley,” Johnson said. “But so much of the stuff people respond to in that character, having gotten to know Rey and gotten to work with her, the tenacity and the bravery and the humor and the depth and all of the things that make little kids want to be Rey, those things are Daisy.” Awwww.
9. There Will Be More Adorable BB-8 Moments
Gad asked Johnson if there were more technological advancements or comedic moments in store for everyone’s favorite spherical astro-mech droid, BB-8, to which Ryan replied, “Oh yes there are.” Johnson went on: “I got the best advice from J.J.’s editors, who said, ‘You can’t have enough BB-8.’ He’s the Buster Keaton of this movie.” So yes, expect more hilarious and adorable BB-8 moments in the new film, to which we give a lighter thumbs-up in approval.
10. Finn is Injured but Determined
When John Boyega, clearly in his element in a black-and-white leather jacket, took to the stage, he caught us up on what Finn, former Stormtrooper turned unlikely Resistance hero, is up to in the second film. “It’s been a process,” Boyega said about Finn, following his brutal lightsaber slash at the end of the movie. “Finn stood up for himself at the end of ‘The Force Awakens.’ So he’s in recovery, but he’s back in ‘The Last Jedi.’ He’s not playing.” The actor also teased further missions with Oscar Isaac‘s cocky X-Wing pilot Poe (Isaac was not in attendance), who Finn teamed up with when defecting from the First Order. “Poe is my boy,” Boyega said, smiling. “There’s always a new adventure for us to go on.” He then went on to describe the thematic and psychological underpinnings of both his character and the new movie. “In ‘The Last Jedi,’ it’s a test for all the characters, but for Finn, he wants to find his place now. Is he going to be a part of the Resistance or keep running from the First Order?” He then grinned really big before adding, “We’ll see…” (The crowd loved that bit.)
11. The First Order is Still on the Warpath
Conspicuously absent from the stage today were any of the actors who play villains in the new films (Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, and new cast member Benicio Del Toro were all missing). But Gad still asked Johnson what the darker side of the Force was up to. “Well, Starkiller Base was a big loss, but they did manage to take out the seed of the Republic,” Johnson said, referencing both the Death Star-like planetoid weapon that was destroyed at the end of the last movie and the tragic loss of a system full of planets at the hand of the First Order. “That’s thrown everything into chaos. So the First Order is not sitting on their hands. It’s going to get dire.” Judging by the noticeably darker tone of the teaser trailer, what’s dire for the galaxy will be very good for fans of the series.
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12. Meet Rose
There are a number of new characters joining the saga with ‘The Last Jedi’ (who the fuck is Laura Dern playing?), but we were only introduced to one today: Rose. Rose is essayed by Kelly Marie Tran, an actress who attended last year’s Celebration in a Finn shirt, had to lie to her parents about what movie she was shooting (she said she was making an indie film in Canada and went so far as to send them authentic maple syrup), and, because she’s so cute, was described as a real-life “Disney cartoon” by Hamill. Clearly she is a favorite. “She’s part of the Resistance. She works in maintenance,” Marie said, as the first-ever photo of her character flashed across the giant screens. Clearly uncertain of how much she can spill, Tran then said: “I can’t wait for you to meet her.” Johnson also chimed in. “She’s pretty rad,” he said. “For me, growing up, one of the things that I loved so much was watching Luke Skywalker get pulled out of wherever he is to become this unlikely hero. The idea that any of us can step up and become a hero, that’s where Rose comes from. She’s not a soldier, she’s not looking to be a hero. But that’s what happens to Rose with Finn. And Kelly embodies that for me.” Well that sounds like a nifty new dynamic to add to the group, and Tran was so utterly charming on stage, you can tell why everyone is so taken with her.
13. Hamill Thought Luke Would Speak A Little in ‘Force Awakens’
The always chatty Hamill said that he thought that he would have a little more to do in ‘The Force Awakens,’ especially because Disney had put him on a rigorous training program. He even went as far as to guess the exact moment he’d come into the film. “I read the script and the I kept making these notes, that’s the 33 mention. I thought I’m probably going to come in towards the third act, but I thought when you were in the forest and the lightsaber jiggled in the snow I thought, Here I am! And it flies into the hands of…REY!?!? She didn’t even do any training!” The actor, who told a touching story about visiting a child in the hospital who lost his arm and told Hamill that he wasn’t worried because Luke lost his hand, admitted to being cautious about just how much of a tease his performance ended up being. “The only thing [that] made me nervous is that if it doesn’t work and I turn around, it’s so obviously a cliffhanger — I mean, he’s standing on the edge of a cliff, get the metaphor?” But no, people didn’t riot; they loved the cliffhanger, and the images of Luke on the island got some of the biggest reactions of the day, both in the still images and in the context of the teaser trailer. And speaking of that trailer (which is amazing), the end of the panel was Johnson returning to the stage to thank everyone and roll it one more time. “I am so proud of this cast and crew. I am so proud of this movie. Right now all I want to do is watch the trailer in this room with you guys one more time,” Johnson said. “Once again: thank you so much. Thank you, Celebration.” No, thank you, Rian Johnson. But seriously: who is Laura Dern playing?
