One Jedi In Star Wars: The Acolyte Couldn't Stop Breaking Lightsabers
The Disney+ era of "Star Wars" has by all accounts been a mixed bag, but upcoming murder mystery series "The Acolyte" seems like a promising addition to the universe's canon for a few key reasons. Among them is its dynamic and ambitious action, which has been hyped in pre-release press and is briefly on display in the show's first trailer. In it, warriors draw their lightsabers against an unseen force in the forest, two fighters face off in a wuxia-inspired showdown, and at one point a character even pulls a knife — a rarity in this world of Force and saber-driven violence.
The "Acolyte" cast has admitted that one of the saga's most famous fights, the showdown between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul in the imperfect yet vital prequel "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," was both a reference point during production and a bar they aimed to clear with their own work. It should come as no surprise, then, that some lightsabers got broken in the process.
The saber-breaking culprit in question was apparently Dafne Keen, the actress who rose to fame holding her own against Hugh Jackman in "Logan" before headlining "His Dark Materials" on HBO. In an interview for Total Film magazine, Keen admitted she went through a few custom-made props while shooting the new "Star Wars" show. "I broke three lightsabers," Keen explained, noting that the first weapon she used didn't quite fit her. "They were custom-sized to me because I'm shorter than everyone else. My original saber was regular-sized, which was too long and kept hitting the ground. So they made me shorter ones."
Dafne Keen thought she'd get fired for killing three lightsabers
Though she doesn't explain what happened to lightsabers number two and three, Keen is open about how terrified she felt realizing she broke such a pricey prop the first time around. "How did I feel when I broke my first one? I s*** myself," she jokes. "I was like, 'I'm about to get fired.'" After a particularly hard hit during filming, her first saber apparently lost its signature glow. "Halfway through a take I whacked it and the LED light just died," Keen told Total Film. With a laugh, she added: "I don't think it happened to anyone else, which ... I don't know how I should feel about that."
Despite burning through her lightsabers, Keen enjoyed herself while studying up on what it takes to be a Jedi. "We had weekly sessions of Force training with a movement coach," she said. "It was about learning the common language of how to use [the Force], but also finding the right movement for your character, because it's such a personal thing." The actress confessed that every now and again she felt ridiculous miming the Force, but also notes that she and the rest of the cast had complete faith in series creator Leslye Headland's vision. "I wasn't expecting it to be as difficult as it was, but it was also really fun," the actor acknowledged.
Elsewhere in the Total Film interview, Keen described her character, a Theelin padawan named Jecki, as "a perfectionist and an overachiever," though she noted that the trainee is also "very serene, very calm." Surely, her ability to keep her cool will be tested by the series' plot, which involves Jecki's master (Lee Jung-jae) investigating a string of Jedi-related murders. "The Acolyte" premieres on Disney+ on June 4, 2024, with new episodes dropping weekly.