Vanity Fair’s The Last Jedi Edition Reveals New Film Details
Annie Leibovitz
In Vanity Fair’s The Last Jedi edition, fans learn – or are reminded – that Leia’s story was cut short in the rest of the Star Wars films due to Carrie Fisher’s death, but her presence will forever be felt by fans around the world.
Part of Carrie’s presence is felt by the actors and actresses who knew her, the ones who knew her for years and the ones who only knew her briefly due to her untimely death. She left an impression on everyone she met, and Daisy Ridley is a person who knows that well.
She says she channeled Carrie’s advice through the film and also in her life. Carrie lived in a way that made her happy, never apologizing for doing so. It inspired Daisy, it truly inspired us all.
‘Carrie lived her life the way she wanted to, never apologizing for anything, which is something I’m still learning. ‘Embarrassed’ is the wrong word, but there were times through it all when I felt like I was … shrinking. And she told me never to shrink away from it—that it should be enjoyed.’
John Boyega said that Carrie gave him advice too and that advice gave him strength.
‘I remember—and forgive me, I’m going to drop the f-bomb, but that’s just Carrie—she said, ‘Ah, boohoo, who fuckin’ cares? You just do you. Words like that give you strength. I bore witness in a million ways to her sharing her wisdom with Daisy too.’
Mark Hamill also spoke about Carrie, perhaps a bit more passionately than anyone else did, and rightfully so – their relationship over the years was incredibly personal and special to both of them.
‘I can’t say that phrase, what you just said: Carrie’s name and then the d-word, because I think of her in the present tense. Maybe it’s a form of denial, but she’s so vibrant in my mind, and so vital a part of the family, that I can’t imagine it without her. It’s just so untimely, and I’m so angry.‘
In the issue, we learn a few more things as well. One, that Benicio Del Toro plays a ‘shadowy figure’ in the film, going by the name of DJ – with no other information provided. Laura Dern will play the Resistance Officer Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo – and she’s got incredible hair and stunning beauty, and there’s a maintenance worker for the Resistance named Rose Tico.
There’s also new territory; a ‘Monte Carlo’ type environment that the cast says is ‘a little James Bond-ish’. ‘It was an interesting challenge, portraying luxury and wealth in this universe.’ Rian Johnson says. ‘Let’s create a playground, basically, for rich a–holes.’
The entire feature on The Last Jedi in Vanity Fair is any Star Wars fan’s dream come true. You’ll want to grab the issue when it comes out for the details and photos alone, but also for the conversation that the cast members have that reveal pieces of what makes Star Wars so important to them, too.
‘…but I knew him’
