The stars of the newest Star Wars live-action series are here to tell you all about your newest fan-favorite characters.
We’ve only just begun to unravel the mysteries at the heart of The Acolyte.
In the two-episode premiere, now streaming on Disney+, the light of the Jedi is being extinguished by a cunning assassin looking for revenge. To celebrate the series debut, StarWars.com invited the cast to introduce themselves and their characters. “I got my first choice for everybody,” creator and showrunner Leslye Headland has said of the ensemble cast.
And now you can meet the newest heroes and outlaws in the Star Wars galaxy, from the mystifying Mae to stalwart Jedi Master Sol.
Amandla Stenberg – Mae
Star Amandla Stenberg plays the assassin Mae, the mysterious masked warrior who is out for revenge against the Jedi Order.
For Mae, “loyalty to her family is the most important thing in the world to her,” Stenberg says. “She’s spent her life developing a sort of masterful skill.”
Behind the scenes, Stenberg put in the work on the physical training that was essential to bring this character to life. Weeks before she learned the first fight choreography for the noodle bar sequence, Stenberg was in the stunt gym, learning the basics for the physically demanding role.
Lee Jung-jae – Jedi Master Sol
Emmy-winner Lee Jung-jae brings tremendous compassion to the role of Jedi Master Sol, whose deep sense of empathy drives his life’s work as a guardian of peace, acting to protect those who cannot defend themselves. “Master Sol is very powerful in the Force and well respected by his peers,” the actor says. “He’s also incredibly warm-hearted.”
Getting cast was a dream come true for the longtime fan. “I can’t forget the first time I saw Star Wars in the theater,” Lee says. “The shock, the tension, and the emotion. Honestly, I can’t believe I played a part in Star Wars. I’m still trying to be cool about it.”
Manny Jacinto – Qimir
Headland wrote the character of Qimir with actor Manny Jacinto in mind. “It’s really hard to believe,” he says. “The fact that Leslye thought of me for this role is…it’s unreal. I just feel incredibly lucky. I constantly get pinch-me moments, even to this day. I don’t think it’s ever really stopped. The first time I stepped on set — just looking around at the sets, all the backgrounds, and the props — I kept repeating, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re doing Star Wars.’”
When we meet Jacinto’s character at an apothecary on Olega, he’s already spent time as a smuggler and trader, in the style of the scoundrel Han Solo before him. “He spends his time in the apothecary, maybe drinking a little too much, maybe sleeping a little too much,” Jacinto says. “He doesn’t really have any sort of ambitions. He’s basically just trying to find his way and ends up being reluctantly pulled into this mission with Mae and her Master.”
Carrie-Anne Moss – Jedi Master Indara
As Jedi Master Indara, Carrie-Anne Moss embodies a powerful Jedi who is both skilled in combat and commands respect. “She’s pretty fierce and very, very strong with her abilities and her humanity,” Moss says. “I love playing her. I kind of work from the inside out. It’s hard to explain what she is from the outside.”
Moss trained for the role for about three weeks leading into production, preparing for the action and stunt combat, including the fight between Indara and Mae glimpsed in the trailer. “I loved it. It’s challenging, you know, your body hurts, but you love it,” she says.
Charlie Barnett – Jedi Knight Yord Fandar
Actor Charlie Barnett is a longtime fan of the Star Wars galaxy, with a deep appreciation for Lucasfilm Animation’s storytelling in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch. In Yord Fandar, he introduces a by-the-sacred-Jedi-texts kind of disciple who’s dedicated to the Order he serves and the ideals of the High Republic. “He is a committed Jedi Knight, invested into the Council, the Republic, and the forward movement of peace and justice,” Barnett says. “He’s one of the Jedi that lives in a black-and-white kind of world. I often thought of him as a person on a police force who is so overcommitted to their job and justice that they don’t actually see the levels or layers of justice that actually exist.”
Yord follows the letter of the law, a facet of his personality that’s immediately apparent from his meticulous appearance and recently-pressed Jedi robes. “It’s about the rules and the structure. He has no space for the uncontrolled and I think it’s, in a way, his reaction to trying to control his own existence and the world around him.”
Dafne Keen – Padawan Jecki Lon
Like Yord, Dafne Keen’s Padawan Jecki Lon, a half Theelin and half human, adheres to a rigid understanding of the Jedi Order’s belief system. Jecki is committed to enforcing the rules as needed as she embarks on her first mission away from the Temple on Coruscant. “Jecki Lon is a young, devoted Padawan who’s very talented and wise beyond her years,” Keen says. “I love Jecki. I love how much she grows in the show. She starts off as really rigid and rule-prone. I think what makes her a great Jedi is her capacity to learn and to grow. She’s clever.”
Being cast in the role also afforded Keen the chance to work alongside Jecki’s on-screen Master, Lee Jung-jae as Master Sol. “I got to hang out with Lee Jung-jae who is the Master himself,” she says.
“Truly a master in many ways,” adds Barnett. “Not only a Jedi Master, an acting master, a soul master.”
“A life master,” says Keen.
Rebecca Henderson – Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh
Fans of the Star Wars: The High Republic books and comics will recognize the Mirialan Jedi from her youth, but actor Rebecca Henderson’s take on the character was also inspired by other stars of the silver screen, including Meryl Streep’s turn in The Devil Wears Prada. “When I began to fantasize about who Vernestra Rwoh was at this point in her life, I looked at a lot of older, respected actresses and their performances in the world of cinema,” Henderson says. The actor also worked with two movement coaches to bring a level of gravitas to her performance. “It was really important that you could see that there was so much going on within her, but that she couldn’t really show it,” Henderson adds. “When Vernestra is speaking, she can see behind her, above her, below her, and all around her. I worked with that kind of energy, which just brought me out of Rebecca and into this very special older being.”
When we meet this incarnation of Master Rwoh, she’s an elder at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. “Vernestra is a revered Jedi Master who is over 100 years old. She’s just been around for so long that I think she has seen so much,” she adds. Henderson immediately fell in love with Vernestra’s character on the page. “When I was reading the scripts and I saw the word Vernestra I was like, ‘Who is this?’ I loved her first line. I loved her first scene. I love Vernestra more than any part I’ve ever played, for sure.”
Dean-Charles Chapman – Jedi Master Torbin
As the mysterious Jedi Master Torbin, actor Dean-Charles Chapman hopes that fans will recognize one key element to his character: “He’s kind-hearted.”
Stationed at a Jedi outpost on the world of Olega, fans have yet to discover much of Torbin’s story, but Chapman is excited for the series to unfold. “It’s a very heavy action show, mixed with mystery, suspense, and the thriller aspect of the show,” he says. “Action is a driving force.”
Joonas Suotamo – Jedi Master Kelnacca
Joona Suotamo has been a part of the Star Wars galaxy since he was first cast as Chewbacca, Han Solo’s Wookiee co-pilot originally played by the late Peter Mayhew, beginning with the sequel trilogy and Solo: A Star Wars Story. But the Jedi Master Kelnacca gave Suotamo the chance to help build a new beloved character while challenging himself as a performer.
“When I first heard about this I realized that it was not going to be my typical Star Wars thing,” Suotamo says. “I couldn’t wait to test myself and see what kind of lengths I could go to in this new role. When I learned that it was going to be involving Kelnacca, who happens to be a Jedi, I was immediately excited. That drew me in and I knew that there was some fun to be had with this role.”
The part offers Suotamo the chance to wear Jedi robes and carry his first lightsaber. “We’ve never seen a Wookiee Jedi on screen,” Suotamo says. “And that immediately sparked my imagination. How does he behave? What has he learned during training to be a Jedi? And how does he carry himself? Kelnacca is a very calm but fierce Jedi who you don’t want to mess with.”
Jodie Turner-Smith – Mother Aniseya
Although we have yet to meet Jodie Turner-Smith’s Mother Aniseya on screen, early glimpses in the trailer show a striking figure who is equal parts strength and grace. “She is fiercely protective of her family, her coven, her children, and she is doing her best to preserve their way of life,” Turner-Smith says. The actor previously worked with episodic director Kogonada on the film After Yang, which inspired him to consider her for the part, she says. “He had thought a lot about conversations that we’d had when we were promoting our first film. It was shortly after I’d had my daughter and I was just still so close to the process of birthing and becoming a new mom,” she recalls. “So, he called me and he said he really felt like this character would be perfect for me to play.”
Turner-Smith was immediately drawn to the regal nature of the Force-wielding witch. “He said, ‘She’s a powerful witch mother.’ And I was like, ‘Say less,’” Turner-Smith recalls. “I got to really birth Mother Aniseya and Leslye [Headland] is such a collaborative person. Her excitement is contagious and she’s created something where the writing was so good, the characters were so thoughtfully and well drawn, and I was going to be in the hands of one of my favorite directors I’ve ever worked with. So I was in. I was in, all the way.”
Watch Star Wars: The Acolyte, with new episodes each Tuesday on Disney+.
