Star Wars: The Acolyte's Jodie Turner-Smith has revealed a few new details regarding her character in the upcoming series and her experience with one of the directors. The show, headed by Leslye Headland, is one of many in the ever-stuffed Star Wars slate of future projects, but this one seems to have a different vibe than many others.
The series, set in the relatively unexplored High Republic era of the franchise's lore, will reportedly take a different approach to its narrative than previous mainstream Star Wars titles. Namely, The Acolyte's Dafne Keen has said it features a "Sith-led" story, which will likely be a breath of fresh air for those who may have gotten burned out on Jedi tales lately. But aside from those aspects, other details set it apart. For one, this still ambiguous story set hundreds of years before the prequel trilogy seems to be taking itself more seriously than other Star Wars projects like The Mandalorian. For another, it's got a pretty exciting director in its ranks.
In an interview with Collider, Turner-Smith teased a few details about what audiences can expect when The Acolyte comes out, and one such tidbit regarded the show's tone. "Obviously, the subject matter is different," she explained. "It's different when everything that you're doing is light-hearted, and that's not what I was doing for Star Wars. But I was working with my favorite director that I've worked with so far, Kogonada, and under the leadership of Leslye Headland. It is incredible to see. I can't wait to see how this show turns out." Kogonada, best known for his 2017 film Columbus, will be a welcome addition to the stellar list of Star Wars directors. Turner-Smith had previously worked with him on 2021's After Yang, which he also directed.
Turner-Smith also teased a rather wide-reaching story, where her character's journey may be off in her separate setting compared to series lead Amandla Sternberg. "Amandla is such an incredible performer," she continued. "I, unfortunately, didn't have any scenes with her, but I got to see a little bit of what they've been doing, and I think it's gonna be epic, and it's nothing that anyone has seen before inside of that universe." Given The Acolyte's focus on new Jedi characters, it's expected but welcomed to learn that it plans to do more with the Star Wars formula.
As for Turner-Smith's character, it seems the actress had to play a bit coy with what she could say. But she was able to confirm one key detail. "I didn't get to use a lightsaber... but I did… not get to use a lightsaber," she said with a sly look at the camera before revealing what she could. "Because I am not a Jedi!" To be fair, she didn't say she has no Force sensitivity, so that doesn't necessarily mean she's not a Sith. But that's just speculation. Perhaps she'll have something to do with The Acolyte's practical effects and creatures.
The talent behind The Acolyte is undeniable, from Stenberg to Turner-Smith and a wealth of directors like Kogonada. That's not to mention other incredible cast members like the aforementioned Keen (Logan), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), and even The Good Place's Manny Jacinto. But the anticipation is further enhanced by the relative lack of concrete info allowed to be shared by those involved. Here's hoping the wait is worth it because the High Republic is a fascinating time in Star Wars history just bursting with possibilities.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is scheduled to be released on Disney Plus in 2024.
Source: Collider