John Boyega Gives Adam Driver 'Random' Hugs on the Star Wars Set

CBR

By Andrew Paul

Published May 25, 2017

According to actors around him, Adam Driver takes the whole method acting thing a bit intensely.

One of the most memorable aspects of The Force Awakens was Adam Driver's intense, moody take on Kylo Ren, the new trilogy's red lightsaber-wielding baddie. While the original films had the towering, frighteningly self-assured Darth Vader, the new movies have a Sith villain who seems much more dour and uncertain of himself, making him plenty volatile and unpredictable in his own right. According to a Vanity Fair feature on The Last Jedi, Driver apparently keeps up appearances, even when the cameras aren't rolling.

“There’s big personal things that I find about every character, not just in Star Wars, that you have to make as personal as possible,” Driver said. “It’s the big joke about being an actor, that you make everything you’re doing seem like it’s life or death...The things about that character that I find painful, that I really relate to, I kind of prefer to keep to myself."

The approach seems to affect others on set, too, most notably Mark Hamill. Given that Luke is Kylo's uncle, one would think it might justify a bit of bonding during filming. However, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"I remember saying to Adam, ‘I don’t know how you work, or your technique. But, at some point, you were my nephew. I probably bounced you on my knee. I probably babysat for you. There’s that side, and now we’re both estranged from the Skywalker family. All I’m suggesting is, if you’d like, maybe we could go to lunch, we could get together and hang out.’”

Driver turned down the offer -- "and more power to him,” said Hamill -- but others aren't letting it go quite so easily.

"I give Adam hugs randomly, just for no reason,” John Boyega said. “He just stands there...He just waits for me to be done.”

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, features returning cast members Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma and Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, joined by franchise newcomers Kelly Marie Tran as Rose, and Benicio del Toro as DJ and Laura Dern as Amilyn Holdo. The film opens on Dec. 15.