We’ve really haven’t heard much from Adam Driver regarding Episode VIII now that it has wrapped up filming, but he has now broken his silence, as he did an interview over at Collider where he shared some interesting thoughts on the tone of Episode VIII, how it compares to “The Empire Strikes Back,” and working with Rian Johnson.
You can check what Adam Driver had to say about Episode VIII with Collider below:
Collider: What was it like working with Rian Johnson after knowing the character (Kylo Ren) and now working a new director? What was that experience like?
ADAM DRIVER: Maybe this is just me thinking of myself, but I’m surprised [because] in their shoes I’d be way more stressed out than [J.J. and Rian] seem to be. Rian is coming into something that we kind of set up and he just took it to the next level in a really great way. He wrote it, too, and Rian’s writing is so clear. I learned a lot of things about my character through his writing. Some things we talked about before and some things we didn’t. He was working on [the script] while we were still working on the first one. To understand what J.J. was doing and take ownership from there is kind of a remarkable thing. And he’s the most polite, unassuming guy and he was appropriately territorial about some things but would still be the first to admit when something’s not working. A lot of times you need to rise to understand what the script is, and perhaps I’m beginning to be unclear, but he’s a great person to work with.
Collider: How was the script?
ADAM DRIVER: It’s great. It’s similar to how The Empire Strikes Back has a different tone. For that people always go “oooh, it’s dark” but I don’t know that it necessarily is. It’s just different in tone in a way that I think is great and necessary but also very clear. He trusts [that] his audience is ready for nuance and ambiguity. He’s not dumbing anything down for someone and that’s really fun to play.
Collider: I would imagine when you’re first stepping on set with J.J. that there’s a level of nervousness—you’re playing a big role in a big franchise that the whole planet cares about—but how is it for you as an actor now that you’re coming back for a second time, knowing that people really liked your performance and they really liked the movie? Talk about the energy on [this] set compared to the other one?
ADAM DRIVER: The stakes are even higher, I think. No one’s relaxing. Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I didn’t feel more relaxed as if we’d accomplished anything. It’s one more reason we have to redouble our efforts and just make it even more specific, but then you also have to let it all go and not think too much while you’re working on it. It’s the same thing you do when you’re working on something like Jim (Jarmusch’s) movie, too.
It’s not my job to worry about the bigger picture or what it means or try to appease a certain group of people. It’s my job to read the script, be prepared, and be generous to the other people that I’m acting with in order to tell the best version of the story that Rian came up with. Then whatever it means and whatever meaning people attach to it, by that point it’s not my responsibility.
Well Adam definitely said all the things I wanted to hear about Episode VIII regarding it’s tone. Not because he compared it to “The Empire Strikes Back,” but because it sounds like we will be getting a very different “Star Wars” movie than “The Force Awakens,” which is something I’m sure all of us fans were hoping for.
Be sure to check out the full interview with Adam Driver over at Collider, where he also talks about how J.J. Abrams helped him get through being overwhelmed about his big role in “Star Wars.”
About the author
