The Acolyte's Amandla Stenberg on Exploring the Jedi's Unchecked Power
77The Dark Side of the Force continues to gain power in the shadows, and a new character will emerge in an era of the Star Wars galaxy that has never been explored on screen before. Amandla Stenberg, who will play the lead role in the upcoming Disney+ series, The Acolyte, was interviewed by Collider's Editor-in-chief, Steven Weintraub during Star Wars Celebration, and the actress was excited to share how the production from the show was different from that of The Mandalorian and other television projects set in the universe:
"Something technical that I can speak to, I thought that, because of how The Mandalorian was shot, we would be shooting on a volume, but we shoot on practical sets. So probably the thing that’s been the most shocking for me is walking onto these humongous practical sets that have been created just for our world. I’ve never had that experience before. I’ve been on amazing sets, of course, in my career, but there’s nothing like this."
Filming on practical sets will add a refreshing touch of realism to the upcoming tale of light against darkness, set a complete century before the events of The Phantom Menace. Stenberg's character will personify the mysterious threats that will start to come after the Jedi when they're at their prime. Decades before Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) trained Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), a Force user was ready to become as powerful as she could, and she wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way. Leslye Headland, who created the successful comedy Russian Doll, will serve as a showrunner for the mysterious Star Wars series.
Back when The Acolyte began production last year, it was announced that Carrie-Anne Moss would be joining the cast of the show. The Matrix actress was seen in the footage that was presented during Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase panel, playing a Jedi Knight who clashes heads with the protagonist. Further details surrounding Moss' character are still kept under wraps, keeping the mystery until the series premieres on Disney+ next year. With most of the characters from the story being completely new, there's still much to be learned about the High Republic.
Stenberg also spoke about the excitement of telling a story in The High Republic era, saying, "I think all the fans are excited about existing in The High Republic point in the timeline, and that’s probably one of the most exciting things for me, too, because it’s an era that hasn’t been explored, in live-action at least. It allows for us to create morally-ambiguous, complex characters."
A Century Ago, the Jedi Were Not Who You Expect Them to Be
Characters like Master Yoda (Frank Oz) and Obi-Wan Kenobi give the impression of the Jedi being wise masters who only care about keeping peace in the galaxy. But, during the High Republic era, the Jedi council was in its prime, their power was unchecked. Audiences have never seen how the Order used to operate when they were at the height of their abilities, with barely any Sith threats in sight. Stenberg also spoke about how people saw the Jedi through a different light at this point in time, before their pride led to their downfall a hundred years later, during the events of Revenge of the Sith:
"I think that that is what’s so fascinating about this point in time: what does it look like when the Jedi have complete, unchecked power? What are their relationships like to government institutions, you know? And people who have issues with their power, what are they like?"
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