The Acolyte Twist Amandla Stenberg Thought Would Leak

[This story contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte.]

In case you examine sufficient trailers and promotional spots, you’ll begin to discover the very deep recreation that trailer editors will generally play, particularly with franchises as notoriously coy as Star Wars. After all, any coded language is most evident when watching advertising supplies after you’ve lastly considered the title in query, however within the case of the Leslye Headland-created and Amandla Stenberg-led The Acolyte, our first glimpse of their mystery-thriller collection supplied a couple of traces that had been sure to perk up ears.

In March, when The Acolyte’s official trailer debuted, it started with Lee Jung-jae’s Grasp Sol addressing a bunch of Jedi younglings by saying, “Shut your eyes. Your eyes can deceive you. We should not belief them.” That’s when yours really theorized that Lee’s character was additionally providing meta recommendation to the viewers concerning the Disney+ collection’ total narrative, and as we now know from yesterday’s two-episode premiere, The Acolyte’s advertising was completely conducting a protracted con by withholding the co-lead character of your entire present.

As an alternative of Stenberg simply enjoying Mae, the vengeful murderer who’s concentrating on Jedi from her previous, she additionally performs Mae’s twin, Osha, an area mechanic (or meknek in Star Wars phrases), who’s wrongfully accused of committing Mae’s Jedi murders on account of their shared likeness. The dual sisters had been separated 16 years earlier for causes that may quickly come into focus, and evidently, Stenberg and Headland are surprised that the character of Osha remained a secret to the vast majority of the viewers.

“I completely thought it was going to leak earlier, like lots earlier,” Stenberg tells The Hollywood Reporter. 

Nonetheless, Headland hints that the deception will not be over but, as Grasp Sol’s phrases could have additional significance all through the remainder of the season.

“I additionally assume that line might apply to the remainder of the season as effectively, not simply the promotional supplies, which, yeah, it did work,” Headland says.

Stenberg first turned heads in 2012’s The Starvation Video games by means of Rue, a task she manifested for herself upon studying the unique supply materials. After which, as destiny would have it, The Acolyte manifested Stenberg by designing idea artwork together with her in thoughts earlier than she was even forged. Headland credit 2018’s The Hate U Give for this flip of occasions, as that’s when she knew that Stenberg might deal with not solely the twin position of Mae/Osha, but additionally the accountability that comes with main a Star Wars undertaking.

“The Hate U Give, although, was actually what pushed me over the sting into the Mae-Osha territory of simply feeling so deeply emotionally invested in a efficiency,” Headland shares. “[Amandla] was my first selection of somebody who would be capable to not solely embody the characters … however to additionally perceive what she was entering into. And I felt that in that movie lots, too.”

Beneath, throughout a current dialog with THR, Stenberg and Headland additionally talk about working with Carrie-Anne Moss and why Stenberg obtained the uncommon be aware to pump the brakes on the velocity of her motion choreography.

When the trailer premiered, I puzzled if Grasp Sol’s instruction to the younglings to not belief their eyes was additionally meta instruction for everybody watching the trailer, and it really was. Are the 2 of you stunned that you simply had been in a position to preserve the cat within the bag for this lengthy? 

Amandla Stenberg: I used to be shocked! 

Leslye Headland: I used to be stunned. 

Stenberg: I completely thought it was going to leak earlier, like lots earlier.

Headland: I additionally assume that line might apply to the remainder of the season as effectively, not simply the promotional supplies, which, yeah, it did work.

Stenberg: That’s additionally what you’re so good at as a storyteller. It’s difficult how individuals understand issues and difficult what they’re, from a front-facing view after which delving deeper into what’s behind it and the way complicated people are. In order that’s what meaning to me.

Headland: Thanks.

Stenberg: Yeah! (Stenberg and Headland have a look at one another fondly.)

Amandla, you most likely had many “how did I get right here?” moments on set, however was preventing Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss’ Grasp Indara) close to the highest of the record?

Stenberg: (Laughs.) Undoubtedly, sure. Carrie-Anne Moss is simply the whole lot you’ll hope and count on Carrie-Anne Moss to be. 

Headland: I do know.

Stenberg: She is such a spiritually grounded, compassionate, heat, form particular person. She form of took on a mother position with me, whereas I, [as Mae], was attempting to kill her, and that was actually form. She actually lovingly guided me, and he or she gave me tips and ideas, not simply bodily when it got here to the choreography. I realized a lot from simply observing her, but additionally nearly being on this trade and doing this sort of work over a protracted time period and the way you maintain your self once you’re doing this sort of work, as a result of that’s an enormous a part of it, too.

Leslye, I introduced this as much as Amandla on the digital slopes of final 12 months’s Sundance, however she launched her profession by manifesting a task in The Starvation Video games. And now, Star Wars manifested her by placing her in idea artwork earlier than she was really forged. What incepted the thought of Amandla into your mind earlier than something was even official?

Headland: Effectively, clearly, I admired [Amandla] from a distance, which, as I say that out loud sounds …

Stenberg & Headland: (Snort.) 

Headland: Anyway, The Hate U Give, although, was actually what pushed me over the sting into the Mae-Osha territory of simply feeling so deeply emotionally invested in a efficiency, not simply due to the story, however due to the legacy of the story that you simply’re telling. So the thought of being concerned in an enormous IP like this, in a world that George [Lucas] brilliantly created, it felt to me that [Amandla] was my first selection of somebody who would be capable to not solely embody the characters and provides an unimaginable efficiency and do all the motion required and all of what she [eventually] did, however to additionally perceive what she was entering into. And I felt that in that movie lots, too.

Stenberg: Aww.

Headland: That’s what occurred. 

Amandla, Leslye stated that she referred to you as “Bruce Lee” for how briskly you carried out the struggle choreography, and that’s evident in Mae’s early fights. 

Stenberg & Headland: (Snort.) 

Headland: I used to be like, “You’re so quick! It’s a must to decelerate! They’re going to assume you’re the stunt double. They’re going to assume you’re [stunt doubles] Kellina [Rutherford] or Cassie [Jo Craig].” 

Stenberg: (Laughs.) Isn’t that what we would like!? On the time, I used to be like, “That’s what we would like! We would like them to assume that I’m doing all of it.”

Headland: That’s true. That’s the purpose.

Stenberg: That’s the aim!

Was it tough to struggle your pure intuition and velocity for the digital camera?

Stenberg: There was one thing very Jedi-like concerning the strategy of studying how to do this form of stunt choreography. The explanation why I used to be going so quick is as a result of I used to be nervous and needed to show myself, and that felt like the best way to do it. So I realized from my grasp, [assistant fight coordinator] Lu [Junchang], who educated me very lovingly. After which I realized from digital camera that I really wanted to be slower and that I wanted to calm down into my physique and into myself, and belief that my motion seemed nice. So it felt like a really religious lesson round the best way to strategy this sort of work.

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The Acolyte is now streaming its two-part premiere on Disney+.