Why Star Wars Was More Exhausting For Adam Driver Than It Needed To Be
Adam Driver's days in a galaxy far, far away are behind him. Kylo Ren died in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" and, even though there is always a possibility that he could re-appear as a Force ghost, the actor has confirmed that he is not returning to the franchise. That may be for the best for his long-term sanity, as the process of making the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy was especially exhausting for Driver.
The actor was recently a guest on the "SmartLess" podcast, in part to promote his new movie "Ferrari." During the conversation, Driver confirmed he is "not doing any more" projects set in the "Star Wars" universe. So fans should make their peace with that. Continuing, the actor explained that the pace of working on a big blockbuster movie set didn't suit him all that well. Not because it's too fast, but, oddly, because it's too slow:
"'Star Wars' was way more exhausting for me. I made it more exhausting than it should have been because I hadn't quite figured out the momentum of a set that was that big before. All the things I had worked on were pretty small and moved pretty fast [...] Usually the director sets the pace of the set. I don't like to be the person that tries to control the rhythm or pace of a set. I have to adjust. Spike Lee and [Steven] Soderbergh shoot really fast. For me, that's not comfortable, but it's their movie and their film, so I adjust to what it is they're doing."
Driver hadn't made a big blockbuster before "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and he was hesitant to take the role of Kylo Ren in the first place. He ultimately signed on and the role turned him into an A-lister. But it sounds very much like the experience colored his view on taking roles in big movies in the future.
The blockbuster pace doesn't suit Adam Driver
It's not as though Driver isn't going to star in big movies anymore. Michael Mann's "Ferrari" is a pretty expensive racing movie, for one. He's also starring in Francis Ford Coppola's big-budget passion project "Megalopolis," which is expected to hit theaters this year. But there's a big difference between taking on a role in a movie like that from an auteur filmmaker or signing on for a repeat role in a major franchise like "Star Wars."
Because of his A-list status, Driver can afford to be picky about what he does now. Between his various turns as Kylo Ren, he worked on smaller movies like "Marriage Story" and "The Report" while also starring in very different sorts of large-scale movies such as Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel." And he's still happy to take on roles in sci-fi flicks as well, having starred in last year's dinosaur romp "65." But again, it's all about the situation. These are character-driven, one-off movies that are probably moving at a faster pace. On something like "Star Wars," Driver is just a single cog in a massive machine.
That having been said, Disney and/or Lucasfilm could still try and persuade Driver to return in some capacity. Daisy Ridley is set to return as Rey in a movie that will focus on her rebuilding the Jedi Order years after the events of "The Rise of Skywalker." A Ben Solo Force ghost would make some sense, given the romance the two struck up with one another. But the actor doesn't seem at all eager to do such a thing.
"Ferrari" is in theaters now.