Four years after it was first introduced — Stars Wars’ Skywalker Saga is coming to an end. Helmed by J.J. Abrams — Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will chronicle the year after the events of The Last Jedi. The remaining members of The Resistance — Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), and Poe (Oscar Issac) team up once again for a final battle against the First Order. The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith is also set to explode in this epic conclusion.
The Skywalker Saga won’t be going out quietly. As things come to a head, new members of the Resistance are introduced, including an old friend of Poe’s —Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell) and a mysterious new character, Jannah, played by relative newcomer Naomi Ackie who plays a pivotal role in the fight to the end.
Ahead of The Rise of Skywalker’s premiere, blackfilm.com talked to Ackie about stepping into the Star Wars franchise, embodying Jannah, and why she’s not concerned about any potential backlash.
“It’s something that doesn’t even click in now,” Ackie said wistfully of becoming a part of the epic space opera. “It’s weird. You take it day by day, and sometimes forget on purpose that you’re in it because otherwise your mind gets a bit blown. When I think about the scale of this film — how far-reaching it is, how many people it touches; it sometimes messes with my head. But, I really do try my best to celebrate it. Thankfully you’re part of an ensemble cast. They’re all bearing the brunt of it together.”
Disney x Lucasfilm have revealed very little information about Jannah other than the fact that she’s an ally of the Resistance. Even going back to Ackie’s audition, Jannah’s role was shrouded in mystery. Once she snagged the role, the Yardie actress began extensive physical training and horseback riding lessons well before ever seeing a script. “Basically, I just signed up for it,” the British-born actress said of her super-secret role. “I started training almost immediately, and then I met with J.J. We had a one-on-one chat, and he told me Jannah’s back story and what she would be doing in this one. I was on the drive home, and I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ Your mind gets blown. Suddenly everything clicked into place. And I was like, ‘I get it.’ It was brilliant. I understood why Jannah was there and what that meant for the story. That’s the most important thing I think as an actor — figuring out why you’re there, why is it important, and what you add to the story that you’re trying to tell.”
A great deal of the work that The End of the F***ing World actress did to play Jannah was strip down the outer layers of herself — literally. To be fearless, she had to become vulnerable. “Personality-wise, I tend to be a little bit more cautious,” the 27-year-old reflected. “I’m quite an introspective person and a bit shy, to be honest. You have to practice being confident in this job. I think for me, the outward strength is something that I’ve always shied away from. However, when I started working out, I started building muscle –proper muscle. I was playing this character who was fully in her strength, fully in her confidence, and was super capable.”
Like her co-stars, Ridley and Tran — Ackie may receive backlash or online abuse as she steps into the male-dominated and predominantly white world of Star Wars. Thankfully, she’s already got a plan in place to combat that outside noise. “It’s hard,” the BIFA actress said candidly. “I think that group of people aren’t necessarily introspective on a daily basis about their unconscious biases. There are many reasons to like or not like something, but sometimes it crosses a line when the thing that you don’t like is the mere presence of a person with qualities that they can’t control. I’ve got a job to do that I absolutely love.
That pushback about your image, your hair, or about how you come across, whether you’re aggressive or not, all of that stuff can go by the wayside. I have no business being close to it at all. My business is to do my job, to do it to the best of my ability, and to try and be a good person to the people who are around me. That’s all I can do. I have felt that fear of the potential abuse that might come my way and the potential bullying that might come my way. But I’ve also, had a my whole life to prepare for that. Being a Black woman, you feel that every single day.”
Instead of bullying and harassment — Ackie hopes that Star Wars fans focus on her character and connect with Jannah. “I want people to enjoy watching her do what she knows how to do really well….” she said cryptically. “She’s a capable, strong woman. There’s this feeling from this film of everyone coming together to fight for a greater cause. If we need anything right now, it’s for everyone to come together to fight for a greater cause — something bigger than just an individual’s sense of self. I hope that people see Jannah as part of the ensemble and that they come away from the film feeling good.”
In addition to her chat with Abrams and her personal love of Star Wars — Ackie was particularly thrilled to see Billy Dee Williams on set for Rise of Skywalker. “You’re just in the presence of a legend,” she said of The Lady Sings the Blues icon. “He opened so many doors. His character in Star Wars allowed Samuel L. Jackson to enter the next trilogies. And then John and me and Kelly. It just it grows and grows and grows. I was definitely feeling how important it was to have him there. It was such a celebration.”
Ackie also had a bit of a celebratory moment when she first laid eyes on the action figure version of Jannah. “I liked that they got my thick thighs in there,” she laughed. “It’s proportioned. It was accurate. That felt really good. It’s still in my house right now. These are things that happen in nice slow stages in these franchises. First off, you just need a job. And then these things happen one by one. So you get used to it as you go along. But definitely, the toy thing is still something I have to glance at a few times and then completely forget. Otherwise, it’s just overwhelming.”
As the release date for Rise of Skywalker approaches, Ackie is well aware that she is about to be thrust into a new level of fame. However, she’s chosen to focus on what Jannah has taught her about herself and what she desires for the future. “This was the first job I’ve done where my physical prowess was really important,” she reflected. “A lot of the parts I had done previously were solely about character. This was about being physically in my body, strong, and consistent. I came into this not knowing how to ride a horse, not being able to do a pull up, not being able to run. By the end of it, I felt like an athlete. It was brilliant. A part of me is so hungry to do another film like this where I get to do that again. That’s a real gift and a real privilege that you receive when you’re an actor— you get to learn so many different parts of yourself that you don’t even really tap into on a normal everyday basis.”
Naomi Ackie makes her Star Wars debut when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premieres December 20, 2019.
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