“I wanted to respect the history of Star Wars.” Lee Jung-Jae on playing a Jedi in The Acolyte

There’s a new, original, story to get lost in a galaxy far far away this summer with Star Wars: The Acolyte, which follows an investigation into a shocking crime spree that pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg).

We spoke to Lee Jung-Jae (who you might recognise from Netflix’s brilliant Squid Game) to find out more about the series, and creating a new Jedi master that people may cosplay this summer…

The Acolyte looks incredible. What was it like for you to step onto those expansive Star Wars sets for the first time?

Stepping onto the set for the first time, I was really taken by the huge scale and the amazing attention to detail. I was expecting there to be a lot of things done in post with computer graphics. But actually the background that I was standing in front of was hand-painted, so they were all incredibly beautiful.

From the costumes, to the props, to the SFX makeup, it was all made so meticulous, and it made me think ‘wow, Star Wars really is different’. For this technology to develop since the 1970s, you really felt that it was something special.

You get a few cool lightsabre battles in the show. What was it like going to lightsabre camp?

The lightsaber training that I went through was very systematic and meticulous. They taught us every move step by step. Because it was so organised it was very easy to follow and learn all these moves. It made me think ‘wow, this is really the best Hollywood stunt team!’.

How would you describe your character, Master Sol?

Master Sol is incredibly powerful in the Force. He’s warm-hearted and well-respected amongst the other Jedi. He’s also a teacher to the younglings within the universe. When he has to investigate the serial murder of Jedi that happen within The Acolyte, he has to face his past and experiences some inner turmoil. Because of the multi-layered nature of this character, he was very interesting for me to act.

Star Wars is full of iconic characters and Master Sol is a brand new character in the Star Wars universe. What was it like to play a character that people could potentially be cosplaying this summer?

Because Master Sol is from a previous generation, The High Republic, which is not represented in current films or shows that are out now, I was told by LucasFilm that I could use my imagination to craft this character. So it was a very big opportunity as an actor, but at the same time I wanted to respect the history of Star Wars and also the performances that past actors have done as Jedi Masters. So I did a lot of research into watching these films and shows and found the connective tissue between them and Master Sol and tried to channel that.

What are you most looking forward to audiences seeing in The Acolyte?

I think the audience will really enjoy the fact that it plays in the mystery thriller genre. The Acolyte opens with the murder of a Jedi. So I think this is really going to pique the audience’s curiosity as they follow the flow of the story and also the trials and tribulations the characters go through and the changes they go through. So I am hoping that the audience is really able to enjoy these aspects of the show!

We’re sure they will! The first two episodes of The Acolyte are streaming now on Disney+

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