'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' Exclusive Interview: Jude Law

Moviefone speaks with Jude Law about 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew'. "What lured me in was the curiosity of how they make an authentic 'Star Wars' show or film."

Jude Law stars in 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', exclusively on Disney+.

Premiering on Disney+ December 3rd is the latest ‘Star Wars’ series entitled ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’, which was created by director Jon Watts (‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’) and screenwriter Christopher Ford (‘Cop Car’).

The series stars Jude Law (‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’), Ravi Cabot-Conyers (‘Encanto’), Ryan Kiera Armstrong (‘Black Widow’), Kyriana Kratter (‘The Healing Garden’), Robert Timothy Smith (‘Wolfs’), Kerry Condon (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’), and Nick Frost (‘Shaun of the Dead).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Jude Law to talk about his work on ‘Skeleton Crew’, joining the ‘Star Wars’ universe, his character, influences he drew from, working with the cast of young actors, and collaborating with show creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford.

Related Article: Actor Hayden Christensen Talks Disney+’s ‘Obi Wan Kenobi’

Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) is closely examined by security droid eyestalks while his young partners stand back in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Moviefone: To begin with, what is it like as an actor to join the ‘Star Wars’ universe and did it meet your expectations?

Jude Law: For me, personally, it was stepping into a very familiar world. I was one of the millions of kids in the late '70s whose lives were changed when they were taken to the cinema by their parents to see the first film. So, I've always had a soft spot for it. I played it as a kid running around pew-pewing and collecting the figures and cards. So, it just felt very familiar actually. What really kind of lured me in was the curiosity of how they make these things and the different parameters or rules that apply for it to be or feel like an authentic ‘Star Wars’ show or film. I think, from that perspective, it absolutely lived up to expectation. The on-camera puppetry and animatronics and all of that was wonderful to experience.

(L to R) Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Without giving away any spoilers, what can you say about your character and the way you wanted to approach portraying him?

JL: Well, when he was described to me, the character was clearly just full of potential and possibilities. He's very mysterious, he's different things to different people with different names, and he keeps you guessing right up to the end. The big question is are his intentions good or bad? That I don't want to spoil, but the fun aspect was, because of this multifaceted sort of nature, I was able to touch on inspiration from characters throughout the canon. There were times for humor, times for drama, times for menace, and times for heroism. He really does touch on all of those, and it meant that it was very rewarding to play.

(L to R) Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

MF: To follow up on what you just said, were there particular characters from the ‘Star Wars’ universe that were touchstones for you in creating this character?

JL: Well, I felt like Han (Solo) and Lando (Calrissian) and just the world that those two mixed in was close to what Jod (Na Nawood) is experiencing. So, there's a little bit of him inspired by them. I'd say that's about it really. Otherwise, it was a case of taking tones as an inspiration.

(L to R) Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) in Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Can you talk about working with the kids in the cast, and when you are working with young actors, do you have to adjust your performance at all? What did you learn from watching them work?

JL: I certainly didn't adjust anything. I mean, they approached it and appeared day one as very professional young actors. They knew what they were doing, and they were confident, and they were very able and well-prepared, and they took it seriously. Then they were kids, so they were also being silly and funny and laughing, making everyone laugh, and they brought a lovely sense of joy. I mean, every day felt kind of fun and special and as it should on a show like this. What was interesting and what we played into was that Jod doesn't really understand what childhood is or who kids are. So, my role really was to also bring that element to the relationships. He's kind of aghast that they don't know how to look after themselves or that they get hungry, or they miss their parents and seemingly can’t fly ships or firing blasters or any of that. I enjoyed that dynamic. I thought there was a lot of humor in it and, if I'm honest, the way I saw it was it is a relationship that evolves over an adventure. So, we didn't try to build some kind of relationship before we started. We just got on with it. Then, really, you are watching me and them and the characters getting to know each other. As the adventure evolves over months and months and months, we are learning about each other too.

(L to R) Kyrianna Kratter, Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Jon Watts on the set of Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew', exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, what was it like working with Jon Watts and Christopher Ford and helping them execute their specific vision for this ‘Star Wars’ project?

JL: Very specific vision. I mean, so much of the heavy lifting had been done in the script work and the concept. It was so clear and executed through the scripts, which were just rich and fun. They were great springboards to then perform from. The same goes for the guys. They were just very approachable. I came at them with so many questions. I have a process where I must understand where my character's been born and what happened in their past, and they agreed that we could draw all that out so that we knew exactly and in fact, they drew on it. You'll see towards the end, they kind of drew on some of the ideas we had about his childhood, and throughout they were just incredibly clear and passionate. I mean, it's not an easy job also setting something up and then stepping back and letting other directors come in, especially directors of the pedigree that they got. But it was a very inclusive experience.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

"A Star Wars adventure."

TV-PG1 SeasonsDecember 2nd, 2024

Watch Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Online

What is the plot of ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’?

Four children (Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Robert Timothy Smith and Kyriana Kratter) end up on an adventure to make their way home after being lost in the galaxy following a discovery they make on their home planet.