The current wave of Star Wars movies offers a fair amount more comedy than previous eras of the space saga, but few of the one-liners ever go to Kylo Ren, who finds little time to crack a joke between all the tantrums and the brooding. And for actor Adam Driver, this has proven to be a problem on set.
Speaking to Vulture, the star of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX recalled how he’s sometimes struggled to maintain a straight face with all the madness that’s unfolding in between takes:
“Sometimes you have to be more focused in between scenes because what’s happening is that, on something like Star Wars, it’s pure comedy in between takes. It’s stormtroopers running into walls because they can’t see through their helmets.”
This lighthearted picture that Driver paints is nicely complemented his co-star Oscar Isaac’s recent description of the on-set atmosphere. The Poe Dameron actor told IndieWire last month that things feel a little looser for the Sequel Trilogy’s third installment, saying that he and his colleagues “just want to make a good movie and have a really good time while doing it.” From the sound of things, there are good times to be had for the team, even if you have to feel a little bad for those Stormtroopers.
In the same interview with Vulture, Driver seemed less comfortable talking about what’s been happening in front of the cameras, offering only the vaguest answer to the question of what he found interesting about his character:
“That’s hard to say because we’re working toward something in particular with that character. I don’t want to give anything away.”
As much as Kylo resents his uncle Luke, it seems that this tight-lipped approach to queries is one thing that Driver and Mark Hamill have in common. In any case, we’ll find out what oh-so-serious matters Kylo has on his plate when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.