AO EXCLUSIVE: Lee Jungjae talks about being a Jedi in Disney+’s ‘STAR WARS: The Acolyte’
Calling all Star Wars fans! Look here because top Korean actor Lee Jungjae stars in the new Disney+ series STAR WARS: The Acolyte!
On the day of its premiere on June 5, The Acolyte star Lee Jungjae held a press conference and talked about his new series and his role as a Jedi.
Lee Jungjae greeted the press with much happiness and answered some of their questions.
About STAR WARS: The Acolyte
Set approximately 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte follows the story of a respected Jedi Master named Master Sol (played by Lee Jungjae) who reunites with his former Padawan. The two will come across a mysterious murder and will reveal sinister forces among them. As the story progresses, it will be more intriguing and pique the curiosity of the viewers.
Lee Jungjae as Master Sol
Lee Jungjae described Master Sol as the most senior of all the Jedis in the Star Wars universe. Since this takes place in the earliest period of time, Master Sol is considered to be one of the first Jedis in the galaxy.
To prepare for his role, Lee Jungjae shared that he had to watch all of the Star Wars movies. This helped him get into character and learn more about a Jedi’s nature.
When asked who the Jedi he was drawn to, Lee Jungjae answered Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn. He added that he wanted Master Sol and Qui-Gon Jinn to have a connection. He even imagined that Qui-Gon Jinn could be Master Sol’s Padawan learner before he became a Jedi Master himself.
Lee Jungjae also described his character as someone who is warmhearted and expressive. Director Leslye Headland wanted Master Sol to be warmhearted and Lee Jungjae decided to stick with his original description.
Experience in filming overseas
Lee Jungjae shared that he never spent a long time overseas. He does visit other countries but he would only spend around 4 months overseas so spending a long time in another country, filming, is something new to him. They filmed The Acolyte for 10 months.
Lee Jungjae’s casting story and how he prepared for the role
Lee Jungjae revealed that he had gone through a camera test before he got cast for Master Sol. He also shared that he went through a lot of meetings with the creators until he was given a script that he could use for the camera test. He added that during the camera test, there was an actual set for him and it felt like it was an actual shooting because the set was beautiful.
10 days after his camera test, he was successfully cast as Master Sol and he was given the script for the first few episodes.
Since this is a Hollywood series, he needed to be able to speak English. Before the actual filming, he studied English for 4 months together with his tutors. He even had his tutors with him on set, guiding him in delivering his lines. The cast and crew were very understanding of him since English is not his first language.
He also shared that he was lucky because he was given plenty of time to prepare for his role, and with that, he was able to portray Master Sol flawlessly.
Master Sol is the first Asian-Korean Jedi in Star Wars
Lee Jungjae takes pride in being the first Asian-Korean Jedi Master in the Star Wars universe.
He saw how big the fandom is and he saw their cheers and passion for the entire Star Wars franchise. He also added that this is something that he has never seen before. Star Wars has a diverse set of characters and he felt proud to be the first Asian-Korean Jedi in the series.
Additionally, Lee Jungjae said that the Jedi’s way of thinking is very different and Asian-like. He said, Jedi could have started from Master Sol, so he is proud of it.
When asked if he felt pressured, he answered, “Yes, at the beginning.” He added that he realized what is important and instead of thinking about the character’s ethnicity, they should think about the story of the series. He also added that he got so immersed in his character that he became Master Sol himself.
Difference between filming production in Korea and overseas
Since he also directs movies and series, he learned a lot about how they do production in Hollywood. He added that their way of production is similar to what they do in Korea and he realized that filming production in Korea is already advanced.
He also added that the kind of technology that production uses depends on what kind of genre their movie or series is.
Message to his fans and the viewers
Since not everyone in Korea is a fan of the Star Wars franchise, he thought his new series, The Acolyte, would be a great way for them to get into Star Wars. Since The Acolyte takes place earlier than the others, the prequel to the entire franchise, new viewers will easily understand the world of Star Wars if they watch The Acolyte.
He also added that the world of Star Wars is something you cannot easily detach from since it has been around since the 70s. You’ll be invested in it the more you watch it.
Lee Jungjae hopes that his character, Master Sol, is a character that will stay forever in the Star Wars saga. A character that will always be remembered by many.
STAR WARS: The Acolyte premiered with 2 episodes on June 5, with new episodes every Wednesday. Make sure to watch The Acolyte, only on Disney+.
All images are courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios
