I need someone to show me my place in all this REY

00 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS CREDITS
 T H E L A S T J E D I

JULES HEATH/2017 LUCASFILM LTD PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 1
 CONTENTS SPECIAL
December
2017

Welcome to Peoples
Star Wars: The Last
Jedi special issue! This
deep dive into the epic
sagas Episode VIII
(in theaters Dec. 15)
features exclusive
interviews, photos and
secrets from the set.
Porgs included.

6
SNEAK PEEK
From Luke and Reys
meeting to Kylo Ren on a
rampage, get a look
at intense moments from
The Last Jedi.

18
ALL ABOUT THE STARS
Daisy Ridley, John
Boyega, Oscar Isaac and
more return, while
newcomers Kelly Marie
Tran, Benicio Del Toro
and Laura Dern join the
saga. Plus: a special
tribute to Carrie Fisher.

60
THE FIRST JEDIS
Legends of the series,
including George Lucas,
Harrison Ford and Porgs, 10-in.-tall
Mark Hamill, reunite. avian creatures
that live on Luke
62 Skywalkers island,
DROIDS are among the
breakout stars
BB-8 has competition of The Last Jedi.
this time around as the { Porg. Actual size. }
malevolent BB-9E rolls
onto the scene.

64
CREATURES
ED MILLER /2017 LUCASFILM LTD.

A melting pot of aliens

always finds a place to
gather in the Star Wars
universe, whether its
a cantina or the casino
city Canto Bight in
The Last Jedi.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 3

 CONTENTS
66
THE GALACTIC POWERS
These visionaries fuel the
Star Wars engine.
70
THE FANS Even after the success
of The Force Awakens,
Dressed as stormtroopers,
Darth and Leia, superfans Ridley says, the jitters
from around the world
marched through this still there when she
years Star Wars
Celebration convention.
72
BEHIND THE SCENES
The cast and crew take
you inside the making of
The Last Jedi.
80
FAREWELL TO A LEGEND
Mark Hamill pays tribute
to his friend Carrie Fisher.
Watch our video
special on the secrets
of Star Wars Episode
VIII: The Last Jedi,
available Dec. 1
on PeopleTV. Go
to peopletv.com,
or download the
PeopleTV app on your
favorite mobile or
connected TV device.
4 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE
PRESIDENT &
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Rich Battista
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER
Alan Murray
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Jess Cagle
DEPUTY EDITOR
J.D. Heyman
SENIOR EDITOR
Samantha Miller
24
DAISY RIDLEY
ENTERTAINMENT PROJECTS EDITOR
Mary Green
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Andrea Dunham
were very much DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Catriona Ni Aolain
returned for DESIGN DIRECTOR
The Last Jedi. Phoebe Weekes
DEPUTY DESIGN DIRECTOR
(LEAD DESIGN)
Dean Markadakis
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
PHOTO EDITOR (LEAD PHOTO)
Joe Rodriguez
WRITERS
Jodi Guglielmi, Julie Jordan, Kara Warner
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Chris Tauber
REPORTER
Sabrina Ford
DIRECTOR OF
EDITORIAL OPERATIONS
Alexandra Brez
ART PRODUCTION
Rachel Moskovitz Abraham (Director),
Cynthia Miele, Daniel J. Neuburger,
Dominick Santise (Production Artists),
Brien Foy, Salvatore Lopez
(Digital Imaging Specialists)
COPY DESK
Joanann Scali (Chief),
James Bradley (Deputy),
Ellen Adamson, Gabrielle Danchick,
Rich Donnelly, Ben Harte, Rose Kaplan,
Matt Weingarden (Copy Editors)
PRODUCTION
Aislinn Nagel (Production Director),
Gretchen Weber (Senior Production
Manager), Anna Gaynor
(Assistant Production Manager),
Suzanne Reiersen (Positioning Manager),
Gabriella Curcio (Operations Manager),
Mohan Kumar (Ad Production Specialist)
PREMEDIA
Romeo Cifelli (Manager), Franklin Abreu,
Kevin Grimstead, Ana Kaljaj
TIME INC.
Jen Wong (Chief Operating Officer and
President, Digital), Sue DEmic (Chief
SET DESIGN: KRISTINA KITCHEN/ZENOBIA
Financial Officer), Leslie Dukker Doty,
Brad Edlers, Lauren Ezrol Klein,
Greg Giangrande, Steve Marcopoto,
Erik Moreno (Executive Vice Presidents),
Karen Kovacs (Advertising Group President),
Susan Parkes-Cirignano (Senior Vice
President, Advertising & Brand Marketing),
Christy Bellina (Vice President, Brand
Marketing), Ellie Duque (Sales Director,
Entertainment Category), Marnie Perez
(Vice President, Communications)
Photograph by MEREDITH JENKS
 PICK UP
YO U R C O P Y
I N STO R E S
TO DAY !

T H E M AGA Z I N E T H AT M A K E S
LIFE EASIER

HOME + FOOD + STYLE + SOLUTIONS + LIFE

 SNEAK PEEK

STAR WARS :

6 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 REYS
RECKONING
Writer-director Rian
Johnson says the
encounter between
young heroine Rey
(Daisy Ridley) and
Luke Skywalker (Mark
Hamill) echoes Lukes
apprenticeship to
Yoda in The Empire
Strikes Back: Rey is
off on a deserted
planet with a master,
and you assume there
will be training. But
this movie is
continuing the
bigger story.

THE LAST JEDI Rey grapples with her destiny, Luke

Skywalker returns, and the cast and crew
have one promise for fans: This
is not going to go the way you think

JONATHAN OLLEY/2017 LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 7
8 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.
 RISKING IT ALL
Rose (Kelly Marie Tran)
and Finn (John Boyega)
visit gambling
city Canto Bight.
Theres so much money
in this place because
people are making a
killing selling weapons
to the different factions,
production designer
Rick Heinrichs says.

The city of Canto Bight expands the
Star Wars universe. It shows more nuanced factions
than the Resistance and the First Order
PRODUCTION DESIGNER RICK HEINRICHS

9
 LAUGH IT UP,
FUZZBALL
Chewbaccas mask
has similar
mechanisms to the
70s version, says
actor Joonas
Suotamo: When I
open my mouth, coils
pull the lips into a
snarl. Some people
say it looks CG.
I assure you, its not.
DRESSED
FOR BATTLE
Rey begins in the new
costume from the very
end of Episode VII,
says costume designer
Michael Kaplan.
Then there are some
changes that are
story-driven with
slightly more warrior
garb or Jedi garb.

10
 JUST A
CRAZY OLD MAN?
Luke had been
described with
flowing white hair and
a beard, but hed only
be in his 50s, so its
not like Methuselah,
Hamill says. Instead of
wigs, he suggested,
Why dont we just
grow out my beard?
Youll see how much
gray I have.

The whole idea with these movies is to try to

keep it fresh and give the audience something theyve
never seen before. Weve certainly done that

MARK HAMILL

(CHEWBACCA) JONATHAN OLLEY/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; (SKYWALKER) JOHN WILSON/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; (REY) 2017 LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 11
 A LITTLE TALL
FOR A
STORMTROOPER
Captain Phasma
(Gwendoline
Christie) still towers
above the troopers,
who now have a
tweaked helmet.
The first change
Rian wanted was with
the stormtroopers,
costume designer
Kaplan says. He
wanted an expression
he had seen in the
original faces. We got
that back for him.

12 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE JONATHAN OLLEY/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.

We wanted that feel of a world people were used to.
At the same time, we had to take it into new places
PRODUCTION DESIGNER RICK HEINRICHS

13
 There are a few
key scenes where
youre like, If

this doesnt work,
the movie
doesnt work
WRITER-DIRECTOR
RIAN JOHNSON

A ROYAL RETURN
Carrie Fishers turn as
princess-turned-general
Leia Organa would be her
last. Director Johnson
treasured working with
her: Everything that
youve imagined shed be,
thats how she was.

14 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE (LIGHTSABER) INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC/LUCASFILM; (LEIA) 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; (SKYWALKER & R2D2) INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC
 FAMILY
HEIRLOOM
For the passing of the
lightsaber between
Luke and Rey, Lukes
mechanical hand was
digitally inserted
over Hamills real one.
Its gold dust for
us to have something
to represent [the
digital effect] in the
shot, says visual-
effects supervisor
Ben Morris. We can
see what to focus on.

REVENGE ON
THE JEDI
This scene seems to show
Kylo Rens destruction of
Lukes Jedi academy,
referenced in The Force
Awakens. But Johnson
says dont expect actual
time travel, which was
central to his movie
Looper. What Star Wars
needs is very, very,
very different from what
Looper needed.

15
 REAL-LIFE
LIGHTSABERS
We actually have
LED tubes,
effects supervisor
Morris says. When
a character like
Kylo Ren (Adam
Driver) brings a
saber close to their
face, you see a
natural interactive
lighting. When
the sabers hit,
that emits light
through practical
stunt props. Its
really subtle things
to make them even
more believable.

GOING APE FOR THE

NEW AT-ATS
To update the classic
Imperial Walkers, the
idea of a gorilla came
upbig knuckles that
can smash on the
ground, mandibles
coming down out
of the mouth, Morris
says. We pushed
a character into
the original design.

16 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

Im most excited about what people are not even aware of
yet. Its unexpected where this movie goes and how

PRODUCER RAM BERGMAN

THE BADDEST
BODYGUARDS
Im very excited about
seeing the Praetorian
Guards in action,
says costume designer
Kaplan of the new
elite protectors
surrounding Snoke.
They move so well.

17
(REN & PRAETORIAN GUARDS) INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC/LUCASFILM LTD.(2);
(AT-M6 WALKERS & KYLO RENS SHUTTLE) 2017 LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi
 ALL
ABOUT 5

STARS
THE

The cast of the

new trilogy
joined by some
fresh faces
heads back into
battle in The
Last Jedi. They BACK IN ACTION!
1 dish on their 1 | Adam Driver
characters as Kylo Ren
2 | Oscar Isaac
story lines, as Poe Dameron
behind-the- 3 | Lupita Nyongo
as Maz Kanata
scenes secrets 4 | Domhnall Gleeson
and how their as General Hux
2 lives have 5 | Rian Johnson
director and screenwriter
changed 6 | Kelly Marie Tran
as Rose Tico
7 | John Boyega
as Finn
8 | Mark Hamill
as Luke Skywalker
3 9 | Laura Dern
as Vice Admiral Holdo
10 | Benicio Del Toro
as DJ
11 | Gwendoline Christie
as Captain Phasma
12 | Daisy Ridley
as Rey
4

18 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE Photograph by KOURY ANGELO

 7 9 10

12

11

19
SET DESIGN: WOODEN LADDER; (DRIVER) MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE; (ISAAC) NOAM GALAI/
WIREIMAGE; (NYONGO) AMANDA EDWARDS/WIREIMAGE; (GLEESON) DESIREE NAVARRO/WIREIMAGE PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi
 MARK

20 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE Photographs by KOURY ANGELO

 THE LOST JEDI
After more After a long time
away, Luke and Hamill
than 30 years, are both returning to
Luke Skywalker center stage for
The Last Jedi. This is
is back at the a time I certainly
didnt expect to be on
center of the the radar, Hamill
Star Wars saga. says. The fame was
fun, but anonymitys
Why his new fun too.
path surprised
even Hamill

21
 THE YOUNGLINGS
Hamill is passing the
legacy to Star Wars
next generation,
including John Boyega,
Daisy Ridley and Kelly
Marie Tran. Theyre all

Im happy they made VII,
VIII and IX. But Id be just as
happy in the audience
babies! he says.
MARK HAMILL

ABOUT THAT ENDING . . .

The Last Jedi picks up where
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MEREDITH JENKS; LUCASFILM LTD.;
PREVIOUS SPREAD, SET DESIGN: WOODEN LADDER; THIS SPREAD,

The Force Awakens left off

with Rey meeting Luke on a
remote planet. I didnt know
LUCASFILM/FOX/KOBAL/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; GEORGE
WHITEAR/LUCASFILM LTD.; 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.

Id be a literal cliff-hanger,
actually standing on a cliff,
says Hamill, who had
expected a larger role in
Awakens, not a wordless
cameo, based on early
sketches: Luke in scuba gear
with Rey, discovering the
underwater remains of the
destroyed Death Starthere
were all these situations.

22
FEELING
THE FORCE
1

1. Fresh from the

TV pilot for Eight Is
Enough, Hamill
was cast as Luke
Skywalker in 1977s
Star Wars: I was
A
After 1980s The Empire Strikes Back,
Mark Hamill made the cover of People
with the headline Hes turning 30
and eager for a new life after Luke
Skywalker. Yet at 66, this Jedi has
returnedwith Luke again central
to the saga. What happened?

DECADES ON THE DARK SIDE

After the rst three Star Wars movies,
Hamill went into hiding in the outer
rim of show business, a.k.a. Broadway
and voice-overs. In 1992 he debuted
as the voice of the Joker in Batman:
The Animated Series. The villain is
usually one of the more interesting
2

trying to figure out,

characters because they create the
Why did I get this conict, they create the chaos.
part? 2. He soon Is there an antagonist thats more Hamill says. I was stunned! But
saw how the cast fit
together. Harrison legendary than the Joker? Hamill by the time shooting started, there
Ford, Carrie Fisher, asks. Umm, Darth Vader? Yeah, was no conict. We bonded over
all of us were so close
to what George yeah, he says dismissively. this whole experience of talking about
Lucas wanted in the the script, Johnson says. Then
character, Hamill FROM NEW HOPE TO NO HOPE? Mark was like, Okay, now I trust you.
says. I was naive,
young, optimistic. Hamill says he argued with writer- Now you direct me.
3. With Fisher director Rian Johnson about Lukes
shooting the final
scene of Empire. destiny in The Last Jedi. Luke says, BRINGING BALANCE TO THE FORCE
Its time for the Jedi to end. This At the end of that People cover story,
comes from the most optimistic Hamill said, I am so much like
character in the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker. I guess I always will
be. Today he still agrees with that,
joking: Yes, Im old, bitter and
reclusive, just like Luke. When he
3 once told Carrie Fisher, who was like
a real-life sister to him, that he was
listing himself in Broadway Playbills
as known for a series of space
movies, she taught him to embrace
his destiny. She said, Look, I am
Princess Leia. You are Luke. Get over
it. She was able to cut to the quick
and see the positives. I learned so
much from her.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 23

 Ridley returns as
Reydiscovering
her power with
a new mentor by
her side

DAISY

24 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE Photographs by KOURY ANGELO

 PART OF
SOMETHING
BIGGER
I think you could go
through an entire
lifetime of working
as an actor and not be
recognized as part of
one specific thing,
says Ridley. To be
recognized as a part
of this franchise
its amazing.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 25


The island acts
as a nice resting place
for Rey to gather
1

A NEW
all of her thoughts
ADVENTURE DAISY RIDLEY
Reys ride? The
venerable
Millennium Falcon,
of course.

FEELS LIKE FAMILY

Im very lucky to be
surrounded by
people I genuinely
love, says Ridley
(with Hamill).

2 3

26
 A STAR IS BORN
1. The Last Jedi picks
up with Rey meeting
Mark Hamills Luke
Skywalker on a

D
Daisy Ridley is the rst to admit that
she has a lot to be thankful for. I will
always attribute 90 percent of life to
J.J. Abrams, the British actress, 25,
says of The Force Awakens director.
I e-mail him regularly saying, By the
(FALCON) 2017LUCASFILM LTD.; (REY & SKYWALKER) JONATHAN OLLEY/ 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; (REY) 2017
LUCASFILM LTD.; (RIDLEY) KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE; (MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS) NICOLA DOVE/FOX

deserted islandbut way, thanks again. Because he was

the introduction the guy that cast me in the beginning.
doesnt quite go as
planned. Shes Now shes back as Rey, learning
greeted not so about herself and preparing to take
warmly by Luke.
Theres obviously
on the Empire.
a little bit of work to
be done for an FINDING HER PATH
unexpected visitor
to be [encroaching] After taking down Kylo Ren in
on someones private The Force Awakens, Rey is taking
space, says Ridley.
Shes gone there for
some much-needed time for herself.
reasons he isnt aware On the remote island where she meets
of. It will take a little Luke Skywalker, she can ask some
bit of work and a little
bit of trust, then it questions and sort of get in touch with
becomes a wonderful, how shes feeling, says Ridley. Every-
emotional story.
2. Ridley also starred things been other people asking her
with Kenneth to do stuff, and its been up to her to
Branagh in this years get to grips with what she wants.
Murder on the Orient
Express. 3. In Oscar
de la Renta at the BECOMING A ROLE MODEL
2017 Met Gala.
My life is different, I think thats my favorite part,
but thats my says Ridley of meeting young girls
normal, she says
of her newfound
dressed as Rey. Its amazing to be
fame. 4. After able to embody someone people look
wrapping The Last up to. I feel now more of a sense of
Jedi, Ridley got a
special present from responsibility. It still surprises me,
the crew. I was given but oh my God, its so cute.
a lightsaber, she
says. I had it on
my bookshelf, but FEELING HER STRENGTH
now its in a very Picking up a lightsaber and doing the
safe place.
ght, I knew how much further I
could go, says Ridley of returning to
training for The Last Jedi. I could feel
4
it in my body. I really pushed my
stamina, so I was able to do more than
I had thoughtit was the best feeling.

27
 FAST TRACK
TO FAME
Star Wars catapults
you into stardom
in a very unique
way, says Boyega.

JOHN

28 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE Photograph by KOURY ANGELO

 The rising star
returns as
charismatic
former
stormtrooper
Finn, trying to
nd his place in
the midst of
intergalactic
conict

Photograph by MEREDITH JENKS PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 29

 B Boyega, 25, insists his life hasnt
changed that much since starring in a
billion-dollar box office hitexcept for
appearing in front of thousands of
screaming fans every once in a while.
That was not something I was doing
before Star Wars, he says.

THE STAKES ARE HIGHER

FOR FINN
We meet Finn at a point in Episode
VIII, where he needs to decide where
he belongs, Boyega says of his storm-
trooper turned Resistance ghter.
The Resistance are under pressure,
the First Order are in retaliation
mode, and theyre ghting back with
everything theyve got.

HE HAS MASTERED AN
A M E R I C A N A C C E N T M O S T LY
A VERSATILE STAR
1. Boyega takes on
another action
franchise with next
years Pacific Rim
Uprising, playing the
son of Idris Elbas
character from
the first movie and
1

The London-born actor says he hasnt teaming up with

had any trouble with Finns American Scott Eastwood.
accent, except one thing. It hurts my 2. He earned critical
acclaim for this
throat because you guys just slur over years Detroit, about
all your words, he says with a laugh. police brutality in
1967. The movie was
He admits he was ummoxed by one my chance to kind
high-tech term: Biohexacrypt. I had of get out of the Star
to say that a few times; its just confus- Wars umbrella and
do something that is
ing, he says. Rian, dont ever let me quite epic in another
say that again. Its going to be in the format, he says.
bloopers for sure.

HIS NEW FAME HASNT CHANGED HIM

Ive still got my family and my same
old friends, he says. But when you do
walk the streets, you get a few people
that will recognize you.

30 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 FULL SPEED AHEAD
His emotions are
kind of against
the clock now, and
its a very vital
moment for him,
Boyega says of Finn.

This whole experience has been amazing. Its a

ride and its a rush, but it never gets old

JOHN BOYEGA

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00
ANGELO; (THE LAST JEDI) INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC/LUCASFILM; (PACIFIC RIM 2) LEGENDARY PICTURES; (DETROIT) FRANCOIS
DUHAMEL/ANNAPURNA PICTURES PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi
 TRAN
KELLY MARIE

32
 FEELING THE
IMPACT
One of the newest
faces to join the Star
Wars universe, Tran
is not taking the job
lightly. You just
want to do the whole
thing justice, she
says. It feels like a
huge honor because
so many people love
it. I dont think Ill
ever stop being
thankful.

A newcomer
to Star Wars
and the big
screenshe
plays a pivotal
role as Rose Tico,
a Resistance
maintenance
worker

Photographs by MEREDITH JENKS PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 33

 A

Rose has an unlikely heros journey. She gets
pulled into this adventureand off it goes
KELLY MARIE TRAN

After appearing in commercials,

CollegeHumor skits and TV guest
roles, Tran, 28, was ready to hit the big
screenand boy, did she ever. The San
Diego native joins the Star Wars saga
as Resistance maintenance worker
Rose Ticobut it still hasnt fully sunk
in that shes part of the most famous 1
lm franchises in the world. It has not
really hit me yet, she says. I still feel
like this is a dream, like a long, really
cool dream.

R O S E I S A N U N L I K E LY H E R O
Fans were rst introduced to Trans
character Rose at Star Wars Celebra-
tion in April. Like many of the fran-
chises most beloved characters, Rose
has an unlikely heros journey, Tran
says. She gets pulled into this adven-
tureand off it goes.

SHES NEW TO FANDOM

I wasnt a big fan to begin with,
she says of the saga. I obviously
was aware of it and knew it was this
big, amazing thing, but then once I
got on this project I binge-watched
all the movies. Its so contagious.
g
Now when youre in a room m
with all of the fans, you cant
t
help but love it even more.
I view it very differently than
an 2
I did before.

KEEPING THE SECRET

WAS N T E ASY
After she was cast, I lied hard.
ard.
I committed. I said I was in
Canada working on an indiee
movie. I even bought maplee
syrup to give to people to con-
on-
vince them Id really been to o
Canada. Once she could reveal
eveal
the big news, Trans friendss and
family were shocked. My
friends couldnt believe it. I dont
think anyone can believe it! !

34 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 JOINING
THE FAMILY
1. Rose goes from
everyday maintenance
worker to the newest
member of the
Rebellion after a
chance meeting with
John Boyegas Finn.
2. Tran (posing with
her action figures
on Instagram) says
she is still marveling
at the idea of being
part of the Star Wars
universe. I just feel
so much love for all of
the energy and all of
the positivity. To be
part of something this
significant is an honor.
Its just out of this
world. 3. Tran and
Boyega developed a
close friendship.
If I was stranded on
another planet, Id
pick John to be with
me, she says.
Just because he
would make me laugh
the whole time.
Hes so funny!
4
4. Tran and Boyega
goofing off at Star
Wars Celebration.

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35
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LUCASFILM LTD.; COURTESY KELLY MARIE TRAN
 JOINING HIS
HEROES
I remember loving
Han Solo and his
relationship with
Chewbacca, Del
Toro recalls of seeing
Star Wars as a boy.

BENICIO

36 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 Which side is he
on? His own. The
Oscar winner
joins the saga as
an enigmatic and
unscrupulous
codebreaker

T Photographs by KOURY ANGELO

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 37
 H Hes known for his edgy movie roles,
but Del Toro, 51, is also a longtime
Star Wars fan who was delighted to be
asked to join the cast. Getting the offer
was kind of offbeat, he says. His
mysterious character, DJ, is a shady
codebreaker who becomes part of Finn
and Roses mission to the gambling city
of Canto Bight. It was fun to work
with stormtroopers all around you,
the Oscar winner says. And scary!

MEETING THE ROYALS

Working in London had its perks. The
royal family came to visit. William and
Harry showed up, and Id never met
them before, Del Toro says. Even
more amazing for the actor was that
most of the stuff you see isnt CGI, it
was man-made. It was also shot on
lm, so seeing the camera and the old-
school lm magazine was really cool.
That crew is like a well-oiled wheel.

IMPRESSING HIS DAUGHTERS FRIENDS

My daughter [Delilah, with ex
Kimberly Stewart] is 6, and the kids in
her class talk about it. They say, Your
dad is going to be in Star Wars?! Del
Toro says. And then I have 80-year-
olds who come up to me and say, I GOOD OR EVIL?
cant wait to see the lm! It just runs I dont know if hes
a villain, Del Toro
the whole gamut all over the world. told Entertainment
Thats the power of these movies. Weekly of DJ.
People are saying
that, but its like they
A ROLE HELL REMEMBER read a different
Having rst seen Star Wars as a kid in script than I read.
Puerto Rico, Del Toro says starring in
the series makes him feel a little like
Back to the Future. As for how this
will compare to the other movies on
his impressive rsum, the acting vet-
eran says, Its got the potential of
ranking up there with some of the
coolest stuff Ive ever done. I cant
wait to see ittruly it was such a good
script. It could be up on the shelf
where the cool stuff is for sure.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 1

Seeing the rst Star Wars probably

had something to do with me being in
movies, indirectly or directly
2

BENICIO DEL TORO

THE CHAMELEON
1. Del Toro made his
character Fred
Fenster in the 1995
film The Usual
Suspects memorable
by mumbling lines in
an indecipherable
accent. 2. He won the
Best Supporting
Actor Oscar for
2000s Traffic.
3. Hes also a Marvel
villain, making
appearances in three
movies, including
2014s Guardians
of the Galaxy,
as the Collector.

39
PREVIOUS SPREAD: SET DESIGN: WOODEN LADDER; THIS SPREAD: CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JONATHAN OLLEY/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; SPELLING/KOBAL/
REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; DAVID MCNEW/GETTY IMAGES; MARVEL/DISNEY PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi
 LAURA

40 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 FANGIRL AT HEART

After winning Dern admits she

had a few geek-out
moments on-set.
an Emmy for I was supposed to be
reciting my dialogue
Big Little Lies, while the camera was
rolling, and out of the
the star extends corner of my eye I saw
Chewbacca and
her hot streak started crying.

as Resistance
leader Vice
Admiral Holdo

Photographs by KOURY ANGELO 41

 LIVING UP TO
A LEGACY
Its rare as an actor
that you get to read
something and see
the whole film play
out in your mind, she
says. This kind of
storytelling and
what George Lucas
tapped into is
so extraordinary. PREVIOUS SPREAD: SET DESIGN: WOODEN LADDER, THIS SPREAD: (THE LAST JEDI) DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.;

42 (LAURA & BRUCE) VALERIE MACON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; (TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN) SUZANNE TENNER/SHOWTIME ; (JURASSIC
Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE PARK) AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY; (DERN & WITHERSPOON) JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC
 W
2 3

Walking into Lucaslm president

Kathleen Kennedys office to discuss a
potential role in The Last Jedi gave
Dern, 50, a bit of dj vu. As you enter
her office, there is a raptor in a case I
had met the rst time I worked with
Kathy, says Dern, who starred in
1993s Jurassic Park. I just thought it
A WINNING was kind of auspicious and hilarious to
CAREER
1. With Sam Neill be staring into the eyes of the raptor as
in 1993s megahit I was reading Star Wars!
Jurassic Park.
2. With Reese

Witherspoon this A NEW RESISTANCE LEADER
September after
taking home Emmys
Derns character is one of the most
for the HBO hit mysterious of the newcomersand
When youve Big Little Lies. Dern
won Best Supporting
she isnt giving up any secrets. I am
allowed to tell you that I arrived to
participated in making Actress, and the show
won Outstanding shake up the Resistance, she says.
a character that Limited Series.
3. As Diane in
And I can tell you that my hair is a
fantastic color!
touches people and Showtimes Twin
Peaks revival. As
an actor, you dream
will live on through of an opportunity
to play incredibly
EARNING COOL POINTS
My kids were so impressed, and I used
generations, that is an different
characters, she says. it in every way I could, she says. My
amazing thing Its a dream come
true. I feel
daughter [Jaya, 13] loves female super-
heroes, so she has this extraordinary
LAURA
LAU
LAURA
RA D
DERN
ERN
ERN like Im really ready
to be an actor now. legacy of Leia, but she also has Rey and
4. The second- what that means to young girls now.
generation star with
her father, veteran My son [Ellery, 16] grew up watching
actor Bruce Dern. Star Wars, so for them to have their
mom be part of that is amazing.

SHES A LONGTIME FAN

Dern saw the rst Star Wars lm
with her mom, Diane Ladd, when
she was 7. It was the rst movie I
4
ever waited hours in line to see. I went
right back to my room with a ash-
light and tinfoil to make a lightsaber
and pretended I was Princess Leia.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 43

 Driver, 34, says that Kylo Rens
tortured family history tugs at his
heartin a good way. Theres big
personal things that I nd about
every character, not just in Star
Wars, that you have to make as
personal as possible, he told
Vanity Fair. Its the big joke
about being an actor, that you
make everything youre doing
seem like its life or death.

KYLO IS STILL UP TO NO GOOD

The patricidal son of Han Solo
and Princess Leia takes an even
darker turn under the tutelage of
the mysterious Supreme Leader
Snoke, played by Andy Serkis.
The relationship that [Snoke]
has as the tutor of Kylo Ren is
sort of psychotically aggressive,
Serkis says. Theres this whole
manipulation between General
Hux [Domhnall Gleeson] and
Adam. He pits them against each
other as a kind of cruel way of
goading Kylo Ren into action.

HE DID NOT LIKE KILLING HAN

Watching that fateful scene at
the Force Awakens premiere,
I thought I was going to puke,
Driver told GQ U.K. I was hold-
ing my wife [Joanne Tucker]s
hand, and shes like, Youre really
cold. Are you okay? Because I
just knew what was comingI
kill Harrison Fordand I didnt
know how this audience of 2,000
people was going to respond.

ADAM

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JULIEN MIGNOT/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES; 2017

44 LUCASFILM LTD.(2); INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC/LUCASFILM; ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/

Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE GETTY IMAGES; MARK SCHAFER/HBO; STEPHANE CARDINALE/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES
 SPACE INVADER
An expert pilot like his
father, Han Solo, Kylo
Ren battles the
Resistance with his
deadly TIE silencer
an advanced fighter
with laser cannons. 1

The things
about [Kylo Ren]
that I nd
painful, that I
really relate to,
I kind of prefer to
2 keep to myself
ADAM DRIVER to Vanity Fair

BREAKING BAD
1. The person Kylos
pretending to be on 3
the outside is not
who he is, Driver
told GQ U.K. Hes
a vulnerable kid who
doesnt know where to
put his energy.
2. Ren will encounter
Rey again after their
climactic battle in
The Force Awakens.
3. The California
native, who served in
the Marines before
becoming an actor,
greeted fans at the
Force Awakens
premiere in 2015.
4. In his breakout role
on HBOs hit series
Girls with Lena
Dunham (bottom
right). 5. With wife
Joanne Tucker,
whom he wed 4
in 2013.

The actor
or
explores
the dark sside
ide
as Han
and Leias
as
tormented
ed
son Kylo RRen
en 5

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 45

 A BREAK FROM
REALITY
In a time when the
world is more chaotic
and complex than
ever before, I think
these films provide us
with a moment of
much-needed
escapism, she says.

She returns
urns
more powerful
erful
SET DESIGN: WOODEN LADDER; (THE LAST JEDI) 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; (GAME OF THRONES)
than ever
er as
stormtrooper
oper
commander
nder
GWENDOLINE Captain Phasma
sma
HELEN SLOAN/HBO; (TOP OF THE LAKE) SEE-SAW FILMS/SUNDANCETV

46 Photograph by KOURY ANGELO

 The dark
side has very
little humanity
and empathy.
1
Im looking
forward to seeing
the human
[in Phasma]
GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE

ALL
ALL-AROUND
A LL-AR
-A
A OUN ND Christie, 39, turned off all the lights
WARRIOR
W
WAR RIORR
1. Ph
Phasma ffaces offff before she sat down to watch the rst
against John Boyegas trailer for The Last Jedi. Youre enter-
Finn. Captain
Phasma is involved in
ing back into something familiar, but it
2
these epic moments takes you on an epic journey outside
of drama, says of your life, she says. The English
Christie, adding that
Phasma is equipped actress, who gained fame as Game of
with a new weapon. Thrones knight Brienne of Tarth, got
Thats always a
very exciting process
that same thrill when she put on her
to prepare for. helmet as stormtrooper boss Captain
h
2. On Game of Phasma for the rst day of lming:
P
Throneswhose fans
arent quite as over- It felt like coming home.
the-top, she says:
People reach
an apoplectic state A DEEPER SIDE TO THE QUEEN OF MEAN
of ecstasy when it We see the continuation of the seeds
W
comes to Star Wars. sown in The Force Awakens, she says,
so
3. On the Sundance
series Top of the Lake: noting that fans might discover a
no
China Girl.
l deeper
d
deeeepe
perr ssid
side
idee to PPha
Phasma
hasm
smaa in the new
movie.
movi
mo
m vie.
e. We
We ssta
start
tart
rt tto
o se
seee m
more of the
characters
ch
hararac
acte
ters
rs essence
esse
essencncee and
and more of what
it is
is th
that
at d
dri
drives
rivevess th
them
them.
em..

N E W, I M P R O V E D A R M O R
3 It was
It was redesigned
rede
re desi
sign
gned ed and
and made
m for
movement,
move
mo
m veme
mentnt,, ssay
says
ayss ChChri
Christie,
ri who
stands
stan
standsds 6'3".
6'3
6 '3".". It
It has
has been com-
pletely
plet
pl etel
elyy ma
made
made-to-measure
de-t-to-
o- for
me,, an
me and d ev
ever
everyeryy pa
part of my
body,
body
bo dy,, to make
mak
m akee it as exible as
possible.
poss
po ssibiblele.
. C
Chr
Christie
hrii says the
improvement
impr
im provovememen entt is evident
in gh
ght
ghtt scscenes.
scen
enee Plus, its
shinier
shin
sh inieierr than
than ever!

PEOPL
PE
PEOPLE
OPLEE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 47
 JUST ONE
REGRET . . .
Gleesons only
complaint? I was
really sad I didnt
get to shoot in
Ireland, says the
Dublin native,
whose dad is
acclaimed actor
Brendan Gleeson.

The Irish actor

promises some
twists for villain
DOMHNALL General Hux

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LUCASFILM LTD.; 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; EVERETT; KERRY BROWN/FOX SEARCHLIGHT
 COMMANDIN
COMMANDING
COMMAN DINGG
PRESENCE
PRESEN
PRE SENCE
CE
1
The sets are
so big, notes
Gleeson.
Above: a First
Order Star
Destroyer.

When the cast and crew of The Last

Jedi reconvened, Domhnall Gleeson,
34, who plays First Order leader Gen-
eral Hux, says, There was a feeling
of condence and excitement, and
we were really happy to see every-
body else again. Any apprehen-
2 sion at changing directors from
The Force Awakens J.J. Abrams
to Rian Johnson quickly disap-
peared. My very rst day on-set,
it was like, Oh my God, hes amaz-
ing, says Gleeson.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

I was really surprised by some of the
tone and some of the twists, says
Gleeson cryptically. I was surprised
by some of the stuff with Hux. But it
PLAYING GOOD
3 AND EVIL really makes sense. And Im glad that
1. Gleeson says hed were changing the look, you know,
love to keep Huxs
jacketbut its on
about the feel of the lm.
lockdown. 2. He
played Bill Weasley in IT WAS THE RESISTANCE VS. THE
the Harry Potter
movies. 3. Another FIRST ORDER BETWEEN TAKES
highlight in his There was a table-tennis table, says
eclectic career:
2015s Brooklyn, with Gleeson. Oscar [Isaac] and Adam
Saoirse Ronan. [Driver] played. That got competitive.
I decided not to get involved in that. I
gured that the First Order were ably
represented by Adam. John [Boyega]
was a cheerleader for a second.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 49

 OSCAR

With his
trusty droid
by his side,
Isaac suits up
again as elite
Resistance
pilot Poe
Dameron

50
 TOP GUN
Dameron flies a
souped-up version 1
of the X-wing
fighter as part of
the Starfighter
Corps. His call sign
is Black Leader.

Playing Resistance leader Poe Dam-

eron, Isaac shares scenes with Carrie
Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd.
I would always love watching Billie
and Carrie together, says Isaac, 38.
They were so funny and so synced-up THE GOOD FIGHT
1. Isaac was excited to
on the same wavelength. strap on Damerons
fighter-pilot gear for

LUCASFILM LTD.; JONATHAN OLLEY/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.(2)

The Last Jedi. The
POE DAMERON WILL STRUGGLE WITH

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jitters never go away
NEW LEADERSHIP IN THE RESISTANCE 2 on a Star Wars set,
but it was great to
Poe is in a tough situation in The Last come back and
Jedi, says Isaac. Hes under the new explore the character
leadership of Admiral Holdo, played by of Poe again, this time
with Rians brilliant
the magnicent Laura Dern. And hes script and great
having a real hard time trusting that her direction, he says. 2.
After spending most
strategy is going to save the Resistance. of The Force Awakens
apart, Poe and BB-8
GENERAL LEIA ORGANA ALSO HAS reunite for Jedi, a
partnership echoing
PLANS FOR POE Luke Skywalker and
Isaac says this could all be part of a R2-D2s. 3. Fans have
embraced the hero
master plan. Leia is trying to groom pilot. Sometimes
him into the leader she believes he they give me
could be, he says. Sometimes the homemade Poe
figures or drawings,
most heroic thing you can do is stop 3 and I always love
and think about the greater picture, that, says Isaac.
what is best for the entire Resistance
and not just the moment at hand.

HES BACK WITH HIS BUDDY!

Well, how can they keep Poe
and BB-8 away from each other?
says Isaac.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 51

 WHAT HAVE WE HERE?
These scene-stealers,
inquisitive avians who live

PORGS! on Lukes planet, popped

out of the mind of writer-
director Rian Johnson. I
think he could somehow see
them, because he was so
very descriptive, says crea-
ture supervisor Neal Scan-
lan, who hatched the design.
The idea was theyre sort
1

of puffins, crossed with

seals, crossed with sort
of maybe a pug dog.

AN EGG ON LEGS
We had this beautiful
design of sort of an egg on
two legs with these big eyes,
and that was it, Scanlan
says. Immediately Rian
connected with that. Porg
babies are called
yesporglets. THE GALAXYS
CUTEST NEW STARS
1. The Last Jedis first
breakout characters stand about
2 10 in. tall. 2. Scanlan with puppet
Porgs, inspired by the puffins of the
Irish island of Skellig Michael.
3. In this picture of Chewie
and a porg, I think everyone will go,
Oh, look how cute Chewie is!
says a not-at-all-jealous Joonas
Suotamo, who plays Chewbacca.
4. Porg concept art by
Jake Lunt Davies.

Porgs are
now everywhere.
I cant stop it,
so I must go with it
CHEWBACCA ACTOR
JOONAS SUOTAMO

52
 ANDY SERKIS
ULTIMATE EVIL
The motion-capture
vvirtuoso returns as the CGI
Dark Side leader. Theres a
frailty and a damage to
Snoke, says Serkis, 53. His
The mystery of this face is cleaved in, scars across
character [Supreme his mouth, contorted body.
Leader Snoke, above] is
something the But without giving too much
directors and I thought away, he is strong. He is the
best to keep to
ourselves, Serkis says.
dark end of the Force. Hes
the leader of the First Order,
but he has his own agenda.
Hes a cruel manipulator.
DARKER THAN DARTH
Is Snoke more powerful
than Darth Vader and
the Emperor? Oh,
without question. He
has limitless resources,
lets put it that way.

LUPITA

NYONGO
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
Nyongos ancient alien

MEET THE NEW

Maz Kanata gets less

CHEWIE!
screen time in The Last
Jedibut her insights
into the past are as vital
JOONAS SUOTAMO as in The Force Awak-
AGE: 31 ens. Its a really fun
HEIGHT: 7 ft.
part, and Lupita is so
The walking carpet can now dunk. awesome, director
This Finnish basketball player Rian Johnson told
helped play Chewbacca in Force
Awakens, running and blasting Entertainment
under the hot mask while original Weekly of the 12
actor Peter Mayhew, now 73, did
the cockpit-sitting. In The Last Years a Slave Oscar
Jedi and the upcoming Han Solo winner, 34. Im just
film, Suotamo takes over as
Chewie, whos as virile as ever.
happy I got to work with Maz Kanata, a
motion-capture
Wookiees live to be 400 years her. I feel like I got such character, is a
old, Suotamo says. Think about an incredible education pirate who once
your uncle aging, like, six years. owned a castle that
Has he gotten much grayer? watching Lupita work.
hosted smugglers.

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& MAGIC/LUCASFILM; DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; FRANK TRAPPER/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES; MATTHIAS
CLAMER/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES; 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD;
INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC/LUCASFILM LTD.; 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; JONATHAN OLLEY/2017LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 53
 FAMILY BOND
Working with her mom
(on the Force Awakens
set) was trippy,
Lourd said before
Fishers death. But
were watching each
other. And were still
being mother-

LOU
LOURD
daughter, even though
its like, actress-

BILLIE
actress.

LEIAS LEGACY LIVES ON

Reprising her role as
Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix,
the young actress stars
onscreen with her beloved
mother one last time

54 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 After her mothers death
from cardiac arrest at age
60 last December, Lourd,
25, found strength in the
love and support of the Star
Wars universe. She taught
me by her own example,
that the most evolved
person is seemingly a
contradictionthey are
both the strongest and the
most vulnerable person in
the room, Lourd said in
April. And that was her.
That is Leia.

YOUNG PADAWAN
When she watched Star
Wars for the rst time, I
noticed my mom was one
of the most condent char-
acters in the entire lm,
Lourd told People in 2015.
On special occasions I
would make her get in a
lightsaber ght with me.
Lets just say the more
trained Jedi usually won.

COURAGE IN TRUTH
Lourd was especially
proud of her mother as
she battled bipolar disor-
der and drug addictions.
I know my mom, she
told People shortly after
Fisher died. Shed want
her death to encourage
people to be open about
their struggles.

[My mom] made
me realize
women are just
as powerful
as men and that
we can truly
do anything
they can
BILLIE LOURD

Photographs by MEREDITH JENKS PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 55

 A SHOW OF

REMEMBERING
FORCE
A few months after

CARRIE
Fishers death, Lourd
paid homage to her
moms iconic costume
by wearing a dress she
collaborated on
with designer Tom
Ford. My mom,
like Leia, wasnt ever As Fisher makes her
afraid to speak nal onscreen appearance
her mind, she said.
as Leia, her costars
and friends reect on
a life well-lived.

MARK HAMILL
Its funny because, in
many ways, the brother-
sister thing felt kind of
real. Carrie and I had a
comfort level with one
another. Its very difficult
for me to accept her in
the past tense.

LAURA DERN

PREVIOUS SPREAD FROM TOP: DAVID JAMES/2017LUCASFILM LTD.; FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES; THIS SPREAD FROM TOP: DAVID JAMES/2017LUCASFILM LTD.; ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES
My son [Ellery] visited,
and she marched up to
him and said, Hey! How
old are you? And he said,
14. And she said, Well,
how old do you want to
be? And then he said,
16. And she goes, Yeah,
me too, kid. And that
was just so Carrie.

JOHN BOYEGA
I was on a strict diet
during Episode VIII, and
she was like, Kid, get into
that fridge and take some
chocolate bars. I have
many there. And I did.
I failed my diet because
Carrie Fisher told me to.
And it [felt] great.

My mom used to say she never knew where Princess
Leia ended and Carrie Fisher began
BILLIE LOURD

56 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

 LEIAS LOVE
Fisher (left, on-set
and below, with Lourd
at the Force Awakens
premiere in 15)
was imperfect in
many ways, but her
imperfections and
willingness to speak
about them are what
made her more than
perfect, Lourd said.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 57

 2

BECOMING LEIA
3 1. I was
was full
full of
energy,
energy
ene , Hamill
rgy, Hamill
Hami ll says
says
of the original cast.
Harrison was wry
and cynical. Carrie
was Hollywood
royalty and a take-
charge kind of
woman. She really led
the way. I learned so
much from herIll
never stop missing
her. 2. Fisher
instantly bonded
with actor Peter
Mayhew, who played
Chewbacca in five of
the films.
3. I felt so privileged
to know her and be
around her, says

Everyone feels
like theyve
lost a member
Laura Dern of Fisher.
But to be around
of the family,
her in the context of whether they
her invention of Leia
was a great honor
knew her or not
and something I will MARK HAMILL
hold forever.
4. She loved puns
and wordplay and
4 jokes, says Johnson
of Fisher (playing
around with
stormtroopers).

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: LUCASFILM LTD.;

GEORGE WHITEAR/LUCASFILM LTD.; DAVID
JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.(3); LUCASFILM

58 LTD.; LYNN GOLDSMITH/LUCASFILM LTD.;

LUCASFILM LTD.
 A LASTING LEGACY
5. Shes a lot more
elegant, more queenly
than we last saw her,
says costume designer
Michael Kaplan of
5 Fisher as Leia. Last
time she was much
more in work clothes
and a jumpsuit
throughout most of
the film. Now shes a
lot more regal.
6. When Fisher and
Daisy Ridley first met,
we were all at dinner,
and she started
commentating the
whole process, says
Ridley. I was like, Ah,

brilliant. 7. Fisher (on
the set of Empire
Strikes Back) was so
We didnt know funny and so lovely to
it was going be around, says
Domnhall Gleeson.
to be the last time I just cant believe
we saw Leia shes gone. 8. I find it
in these movies very powerful when I
see her in this film,
RIAN JOHNSON says Rian Johnson
6 of Fisher. She just did
beautiful work in it.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 59

 WARWICK DAVIS BILLIE LOURD BILLY DEE WILLIAMS HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN
Wicket daughter of the late Lando Calrissian Anakin Skywalker
Carrie Fisher, who
played Princess Leia

George Lucas
gave me the

When I was 11,

opportunity to
go to that DAVE FILONI
galaxy far, far animation director
away and meet
my heroes
WARWICK DAVIS

THE FIRST
Celebrating 40 years of Star Wars, franchise
legends reunited this spring, posing for People
at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando

JOHN WILLIAMS
composer

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JAMES/2015 LUCASFILM; WENN; LUCASFILM/FOX/KOBAL/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; MEREDITH JENKS/DISNEY
MARK HAMILL HARRISON FORD ANTHONY DANIELS PETER MAYHEW IAN M C DIARMID
Luke Skywalker Han Solo C-3PO Chewbacca Emperor Palpatine

JEDI
GEORGE LUCAS KATHLEEN KENNEDY
creator, writer, director Lucasfilm president

AN ENDURING UNIVERSE
In honor of the original 1977 Star Wars,
stars of past episodes joined creator
George Lucas, who shared his vision of
the values the series stands for:
Friendships, honesty, trust, living on
the light side, avoiding the dark side.

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 61

 HAVING A BALL
BB-8 is pivotal in
The Last Jedi, says
Brian Herring,
copuppeteer with
Dave Chapman. The
secret to the droids
runaway appeal? The
design is so good that
you can actually emote
with it, Herring says.
We thought he was
going to be popular,
but I dont think
we were quite ready
for the sheer amount
of craziness that
BB-8 created.

THE DROIDS

ON A SET DESIGN KRISTINA KITCHEN/ZENOBIA; CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: INDUSTRIAL LIGHT &
MAGIC/LUCASFILM; ED MILLER /2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; JONATHAN OLLEY/2017 LUCASFILM
LTD.; ED MILLER /2017 LUCASFILM LTD.(2); 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.

62 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE Photograph by MEREDITH JENKS

 BEEN THROUGH
A LOT TOGETHER
1. Several versions of
BB-8 were used on-
set, inlcuding puppets
and a working robot.
2. Copiloting an
X-wing. 3. The
malevolent new
BB-9E, nicknamed
BB-H8 (Hate) sports
a look that echoes
50s automobiles
but with a bit
1

I absolutely
adore BB-8.
Hes totally my
of evilness, says
creature supervisor
favorite. Youve
Neal Scanlan. got to admire
4. BB-8 puppeteers
Dave Chapman and
the cleverness of
Brian Herring. the design
5. C-3PO and R2-D2 ANTHONY DANIELS
are 8-for-8, appearing (C-3PO)
in every episode. This
started as a 12-week
job, says Anthony 2 3
Daniels, who first
squeezed into
C-3POs metal body
in 1976. It used to
take half an hour to
put the head on. Now
its eight seconds!

ROLL!
Rotund fan
favorite
BB-8 returns
but watch
out for less
llovable
ov rival
BB-9E
B B
4
5
 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JOHN WILSON/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; ED MILLER/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; JONATHAN
OLLEY /2017LUCASFILM LTD.(2); DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; JOHN WILSON/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; DAVID
JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; ED MILLER/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.
OUT OF THIS 5
CREATURE SUPERVISOR
effects language
unique visual-

Lucas. Thats
from George

hold on to
something

NEAL SCANLAN
We have a

we try to

2

THE CREATURES

4
1

64
 HAMMERHEAD
WOULD BE PROUD
3
1. Gamblers in the city
of Canto Bight are an
homage to the first Star
Wars but also an
evolution. We love the
legacy characters, says
creature supervisor Neal
Scanlan. But this is
exciting new territory.
2. The nunlike
Caretakers live on Lukes
new world. 3. Scanlan
says writer-director
Rian Johnson was
very actively involved
in designing the
space racehorses
called fathiers.
4. Cai Threnalli, Poe
Damerons wingman.
5. Casino guests.
6. The casino scene
involved 600 extras,
requiring an army of 95
hair and makeup artists.
7. Another casino
creature. The Force
Awakens was about
understanding the world

WORLD!
of Star Wars, Scanlan
says. For Last Jedi, we
felt more confident.

With aliens aplenty

including the denizens
of a new casino city
the tradition of the Star
Wars cantina lives on

6 7

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 65

 THE GALACTIC
POWERS

JOHNSON
RIAN

DIRECTOR
66 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE Photograph by KOURY ANGELO
 Like an escape pod falling on
Tatooine, Star Wars dropped
out of the blue on writer-
director Johnson, 43. Before
The Force Awakens started
shooting, Lucaslm presi-
dent Kathleen Kennedy
approached Johnson, best
known for 2012s time-bender
Looper. The assignment was
simple: What happens
next? he says.

FREE TO IMAGINE 1
When I was writing the
story, I would go in to Lucas-
lm twice a week and just
MASTER OF TWISTS
vomit all my weird ideas out AND TURNS 2
there. I honestly didnt get a 1. In Looper and his
lot of, No, you cant. directorial debut,
2005s Brick, Johnson
directed Joseph
NOT YOUR FATHERS EMPIRE Gordon-Levitt, who
has a secret cameo
I tried to avert my eyes role in The Last Jedi.
from The Empire Strikes 2. Johnsons producing
Back, Johnson says of the partner Ram Bergman
(with Johnson and
second movie in the original Kennedy) says the
trilogy. Youve got Rey on Star Wars job offer was
a surprise, but taking
a deserted planet with it was the best
a master. Our heroes are decision weve ever
split up. But this movie made. 3. On the set of
The Last Jedi.
feels like its own thing,
not a rehash of Empire.
3

We couldnt think about scenes living up to what we grew up on.
We just thought, This is a scene that has to be awesome
RIAN JOHNSON

67
SET DESIGN WOODEN LADDER, INSETS, FROM TOP: SNAP STILLS/REX/
SHUTTERSTOCK; DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.; 2017 LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi
 THE GALACTIC
POWERS
When George
decided he was
going to ask THE FORCE AWAKENED
HER IN COLLEGE
me to do this, we I am not someone who
had worked was 7 years old
together off and when I rst saw Star Wars,
on for 30 years says Kennedy, 64, who
KATHLEEN KENNEDY
produced E.T., Schindlers
List and Jurassic Park
before she took over the
helm of George Lucass
company. I was in my
early days of college.
Kennedy calls the original
movie a game-changer.
If you had things that
existed only in your
imagination, there was a
way to actually realize
that in cinema.

SHES A CHAMPION
OF FEMALE HEROES
Im very proud of the
fact that [Star Wars] has
awakened the idea of little
girls becoming heroes
and having characters they
can look up to, like Rey.

KATHLEEN

PRESIDENT, LUCASFILM
68 Photograph by MEREDITH JENKS
FROM LEFT: SET DESIGN KRISTINA KITCHEN/ZENOBIA; WOODEN LADDER(2)
 ALAN HORN
CHAIRMAN, WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
THE ORIGINAL SENT In his office Horn
HIM INTO HYPERDRIVE keeps a foot-and-a-half
I saw it on Wilshire Blvd. model of a stormtrooper,
at the Avco theater in which is me, he says,
Los Angeles, recalls joking that he served as
Horn, 74. I found myself a soldier for the dark
driving my car 90 mph to side but only for about
get to hyperspace. nine months. I didnt like
their philosophy, and the
HE HAS A STATUE OF HIM- uniforms were impossibly
SELF AS A STORMTROOPER uncomfortable.

I love the fact
that George
found so much
humor. You have
to have heart
and humor
in everything
ALAN HORN

BOB IGER
CEO, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
HIS FIRST STAR WARS
G E E K- O U T M O M E N T
I saw the original on the
West Side of Manhattan in
the summer of 77, says

If someone
told me I would
be CEO of a
Iger, 66. The whole thing company
seemed like the best responsible for
theme-park attraction Star Wars lms,
Id ever ridden. I would have
told them they
LIVING THE DREAM were out of
Still a superfan, Iger their minds
counts visiting Harrison BOB IGER
Ford in the Millennium
Falcon and hugging Carrie
Fisher while she was in
her Princess Leia costume
(no, not the bikini) among
his career highlights.

Photographs by KOURY ANGELO PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 69

 FANS
MAY THE

70
BE WITH
From Lukes
and Leias

YOU
to a sweet
lil Darth,
acionados
of all ages
ocked to
this years
Star Wars
Celebration
in Orlando
ready for
their
close-ups
Photographs by
MEREDITH JENKS

PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 71

 THE ROYAL
TREATMENT
Carrie was constantly
pitching me one-
liners, says Johnson
(with Fisher). Id get
300 crazy wordplay
puns. Wed maybe use
one for a scene.

THE MAKING OF THE LAST JEDI

BEHIND

72 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD.
THE SCENES
On-set, director Rian Johnson
built a bubble for cast and
crew to keep the pressure of the
Star Wars legacy far, far away

73

This was day one of lming, before The Force
Awakens even came out, so it was a bit surreal
RAM BERGMAN, PRODUCER

MAKING FANTASY
A REALITY
Its really exciting
when you see all of your
ideas and your designs
coming to life, says
director of hair and makeup
Peter Swords King.

74
 LUKE HIGHWALKER
We had to film with a
very minimal crew and
climb 600 steps, says
Bergman of the three-
day shoot at Lukes
hideaway, the Irish
island of Skellig Michael.

FOCUS ON
THE FORCE
Rian designed some of
the hardest focus shots
ever in terms of the
camera pushing really
fast into minimum focus
on somebody moving
around, says cinema-
tographer Steve Yedlin.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: 2017 LUCASFILM LTD.(2); DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 75
 WOOKIEE
ROOKIE
Im still learning all
the mannerisms,
says Chewbacca
actor Joonas
Suotamo (in the
Millennium Falcon
with director
Johnson). I want
to be sure the fans
will not go, Hey, is
there someone else
playing Chewie?!

76 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE


For us younger people, its not
easy slipping into these
shoes and lling the spot of
Star Wars legends
JOONAS SUOTAMO

DAVID JAMES/2017 LUCASFILM LTD. PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 77
 EXCLUSIVE!
RIANS
PHOTO
ALBUM
Director
Rian Johnson
shares his
1
own behind-
the-scenes
4 snapshots 2

There are some real surprises, but all of the cast and all of the crew read the
whole script. The audience will be shocked but not the actors
RIAN JOHNSON, DIRECTOR

7 8
 3

DIRECTORS CUT
1. Resistance pilots 6
gather for battle.
2. Mark Hamill as
Luke. 3. Daisy
Ridleys Rey
learns to wield
the Skywalker
lightsaber.
4. Captain Phasma
and Finn are
fierce rivals, but
Gwendoline Christie
and John Boyega
are pals. 5. C-3PO
unmasked! Anthony
Daniels takes a
breath. 6. C-3PO,
always the center of
the action. 7. Billie
Lourd mans her
station in the
Resistance. 8. Hamill
with the crew.
9. Oscar Isaac
takes a coffee
break. 10. Setting
up a shot.

9 10

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RIAN JOHNSON PEOPLE Star Wars: The Last Jedi 79

 CARRIE FISHER
1956-2016

Im selshly mad that shes not here to make me laugh, but Im also
LUCASFILM

grateful for all that she was able to give us while she was here
MARK HAMILL

80 Star Wars: The Last Jedi PEOPLE

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 Carrie Fisher
as Leia and Peter
Mayhew as Chewbacca
on the set of 1980s The
Empire Strikes Back.
CARRIE FISHER
TRIBUTE,
P. 54