Interview with Actors Amandla Stenberg and Manny Jacinto on Disney Star Wars Series, The Acolyte

Action! This isn't about good or bad. This is about power. And who is allowed to use it. What is that? Hey guys, how are you? How's it going? Congratulations on the show. It is amazing. You guys are both fantastic. Amandla, I want to start with you. The first scene is you fighting Carrie-Anne Moss. Trinity. My mind is blown. What was it like for you? Same. Mind blown. The Matrix is one of my favorite series in the planet. Carrie-Anne Moss is a walking legend. So I was terrified at the idea of fighting her at first. But she was so kind to me. And so giving. And immediately took on this mentorship role with me. That I just felt so supported. And it was incredible to observe her. And witness how she approached this kind of work. And hear her talk about her experience in the industry. And share bits of wisdom with me. She's just a really spiritual, grounded person. And that was just one of the coolest things to do. Spiritual, grounded person. And then you beat the shit out of her. Yes. And I didn't want to fully spoil anything. But it's pretty wild that we do get to have Trinity from the Matrix in this series. And then we don't. Yeah. It's so good. One of the best things I've ever seen. And Manny, your character Camille, I feel. Has some stuff going on that we're going to find out as the series continues. How would you describe it? I would describe him as being more aloof than anything. More of a ignorance is bliss type of vibe. He's very much somebody who kind of goes with the flow. Just in order to survive. He's very much a part of the idea of who can he take advantage of. For him to kind of get his way. So if it means being a part of Mei's mission and pleasing their master, he'll do that. If it means going to the Jedi and helping them out, he'll do that. He's very much just in it for himself. And we'll see where he lands by the final episode. The High Republic. Not as safe as it once was. Careful, we must. Amanda, other than that first scene that we spoke about, what was the pinch yourself moment where you're like, okay, wow, this is Star Wars. The scale, everything that it means. Where did it hit you? I mean, there are so many moments like that. But first of all, steering a ship. There's no way you can steer a ship and not freak out about being in Star Wars. Saying things like, polarize the hyperdrive. Just saying phrases like that in general. When they come out of your mouth, you can't believe they're coming out. There was one set that we worked on because all of our sets are practical, which is so cool. I mean, I thought we were going to be shooting on a volume, which would have been great also. I would have been so curious to see how a volume functions. But Leslie wanted to do all practical sets, which I think is such a great hearken back to the 1977 trilogy. And so we had a forest set that I remember being in the pre-production office, and I saw a map of the forest up on the wall. And I was like, oh, hey, is that like a theoretical concept map for like, you know, canon or something? And the production designer was like, no, that's a literal map for the literal forest that we built. So that you don't get lost in it, you know? So working on that set, seeing that the scope of it, the trees, all of them were real, there were ferns. That was crazy. Being in the Jedi Temple, I took a nap in the Jedi Temple once. That was crazy. It was like every day. Every time walking into a new set. You carry a Jedi weapon. But you are no Jedi. But I am. And Matty, is there a planet in the Star Wars universe where like, bottles would be a viable artifact? Great question. I maybe... Maybe... I mean, I think I can only say that he probably shouldn't be on Kofar because he would probably set the whole place on fire. It'd have to be way out of the outer rim where they don't see much good NFL, I think. Maybe. Guys, we've run out of time. Thank you so much. It's been an absolute treat to talk to both of you. Congratulations again. Thank you so much. Enjoyed promoting the show. Thank you so much.