Posted in: Disney+, Preview, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: disney plus, lucasfilm, star wars, The Acolyte

The Acolyte Showrunner, Rebecca Henderson Talk Vernestra Rwoh

The Acolyte Showrunner Leslye Headland and star Rebecca Henderson discuss Vernestra Rwoh's role in the Lucasfilm series and more.

Leslye Headland's (Russian Bride) Amandla Stenberg (The Eddy) & Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)-starring Star Wars: The Acolyte heads back to the beginning of how it all began this June – with the mystery-thriller taking viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan (Stenberg) reunites with her Jedi Master (Jung-jae) to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. Earlier today, we had a chance to check out what Joonas Suotamo had to share about playing lightsaber-slinging Wookie Jedi Master Kelnacca.

Now, Headland and series star Rebecca Henderson are offering some insights into Vernestra Rwoh – a character from the "High Republic" novels who is a 116-year-old Jedi Master in the streaming series. "I absolutely love Vernestra. You can tell because I cast my wife," Headland shared during a recent interview with Empire. Though with a hundred years separating the "High Republic" novels and The Acolyte, fans can expect a Vernestra that's "been through some shit," the showrunner explained. "That has resulted in her going from this fun-seeking adventurer character [in the books] to a little bit closer to the [type of] Jedi that we see in 'The Phantom Menace.'"

Another major difference between the novels and the series is that Vernestra is now the wise, experienced Jedi Master. "Because she has been around for so long, she has basically met everyone that has come through the Temple and seen them all die their natural deaths if they're living a natural human life," Henderson explains. "She's known [Lee Jung-jae's Jedi Master] Sol since he was a tiny child." As for what the future could hold regarding more "High Republic" novel characters crossing over into the live-action universe, Headland is definitely keeping the door open – adding, "I've already talked to Pablo Hidalgo about it."

The Acolyte Honors/Challenges "Star Wars" Ethos: Amandla Stenberg

During an interview with C Magazine, Stenberg shared how Headland pitched to series to her. "All the artwork was conceptualized with my face, and Leslye was like, 'So I've been working on this for about three or four years for you. I don't know what I'm going to do if you don't do it. No pressure," Stenberg revealed. "So I was sent to the moon, of course."

Filmed mostly at Shinfield Studios in Berkshire, England, Stenberg found the experience quite different from past productions. "The crews are so hardcore, they're so hardworking, and it's very kind of hierarchical and competitive, and people work their asses off. It's very different, I think, than what I've experienced on most American sets," she explained. Another big difference between The Acolyte and Stenberg's previous work? "I have a really, really heavy load in this show, an abnormal load," she adds.

While she's understandably under strict "no spoilers" watch, Stenberg was able to discuss the show's thematic goals and the perspective that it's taking. "In the context of the Star Wars universe, it's a time of great peace, theoretically. It's also a time of an institution, and it's a time in which conceptions around the Force are very strict. And I think what we're trying to explore within our show is when an institution has a singular conception of how power can be used…we try to provide a lot of different perspectives and answers to that question," Stenberg explained. "The idea is to kind of honor the ethos of Star Wars and ideas around the Force and also challenge them, hopefully harmoniously."

Disney+, Lucasfilm, and Headland's The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Margarita Levieva (Revenge, The Deuce), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), and Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo as the Wookie Jedi Kel Naka. Headland directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102) – with directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) rounding out the lineup of directors. Along with Headland, Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef will executive produce (with Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson set to produce).

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