Set in the High Republic era, long before the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Acolyte chronicles a time when the Jedi were at their peak. In the upcoming series, the galaxy far, far away faces a dark new threat which leads to an unexpected team-up – a former padawan suspected of a crime and her former Jedi master. As they investigate the threat, they discover something much darker. In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, The Acolyte actors Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett and Rebecca Henderson opened up about joining the Star Wars universe.

Keen, who plays Jecki Lon the half-human, half-Theelin padawan of Lee Jung-jae’s Jedi Master Sol, reveals she felt like a padawan on the show’s sets as well. She shares, “I really enjoyed being JJ’s padawan because we really had a Jedi-padawan relationship. He is such an impressive actor. Apart from being the sweetest, most wonderful human being, he’s such a great talent. What you see on screen aside, you have to take stock of the fact that he doesn’t speak English. He was learning English and his lines and doing stunt training. And he was still managing to act and convey emotions. I come from a family where my mum is Spanish and she speaks English. I’ve always seen her acting in English and it’s a struggle not to act in your language. I’ve seen my dad do that as well.”

Heaping praise on the Squid Game star, she adds, “I was in awe the entire time and he was so graceful about taking that on. To me, he’s a true movie star. I feel so lucky to witness that. It was wonderful.”

Henderson shares she never imagined herself in full SFX makeup, playing Vernestra Rwoh in a Star Wars show. Sharing how surreal it felt while saying the iconic, “May the Force be with you,” line, she reflects, “It felt surreal both when I said it and when I saw it happen on screen. It felt so special to watch that episode, especially knowing what happened subsequently. I was a real nerd for it. In my head was like, ‘This is so cool.’”

She continues, “When I was training as an actor I didn’t dream about being in Star Wars. I was dreaming of being in plays or something. But seeing yourself on a poster, having a lightsaber – all these scenes you’ve seen in films over the years is just stunning. And acting in that world is very rich, creative and theatrical. It is art, honestly. I found working on the show totally inspiring and so good for my soul.”

Working on a Star Wars set means you get to play around with some of the coolest props. But when asked about what the cast took from the sets, Keen chimes in, “I stole an array of underwear. I had drawers full of them. I also stole one of the comm units too.”

Barnett half-jokingly admits to taking at least one thing from each set home. He reveals, “I took something from every set I worked on. Okay, I actually was given this one thing so don’t come for me. It’s the boots. Our costume designer was unbelievable. She should get props for pulling from a world from the books and keeping the connection for those fans but also creating something new based on where this show is going with the Jedi. She made these awesome Italian leather Jedi boots. And they were only fitted for us. I begged her to give them to me on the first day itself. I can walk around those all day. And she let me take them home. Sorry, Bob [Iger]”

Star Wars: Acolyte will be released on June 4, 2024.