Kelly Marie Tran Opens Up About Playing Rose Tico In ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’
Star Wars: The Last Jedi does not open in theaters until Dec. 15, but everyone's already raving about the film's breakout star: Kelly Marie Tran.
Tran, whose credits include shows like About a Boy, Ladies Like Us, and Adam Ruins Everything, plays the role of the maintenance-worker-turned-Resistance-hero Rose Tico in the upcoming installment of George Lucas' epic space franchise.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the 28-year-old actress has opened up about her major "Jedi" role and the advice she received from the late Carrie Fisher, among other things.
On How Rose Tico's Character Was Presented To Her
Tran plays the role of Rose Tico in the next chapter of the Star Wars series. Her character has hated the First Order since childhood and serves as a member of the support crew that helps out the Resistance starfighters in the upcoming film.
However, Tran says that she wasn't given a proper description of the character when she auditioned for the part.
"They didn't, really," she told the publication. "The character description was so vague, it was like, 'Any ethnicity, female.'"
She noted that the sides that she received from the film's casting team were also fake. Sides refer to a specific set of lines or dialogues from the film's script that one must learn before they audition for a particular role.
"I just tried to be honest with what I saw on the page if that makes any sense," she added. "There was no one saying, 'She's supposed to be like this, this and this.'"
On Her 'Star Wars' Background Having An Impact On Her Character
When Tran was handed the script of The Last Jedi back in 2015, she had not watched a single movie from the Star Wars franchise and considers herself lucky because of us that as her lack of knowledge helped her character remain influence-free.
She explained that she wanted her character to stand "alone" even though she's affected by the events that take place in 2015's The Force Awakens.
"When she first meets Finn, he's now a hero in the Resistance and that's a huge deal to her. But when you first meet her she hasn't met any of those characters - she's just heard about them."
On Receiving Advice From Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher, who played the iconic role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, passed away at the age of 60 last year but before she died she had some words of advice for Tran.
The actress revealed that Fisher told her that this was going to be an incredible experience and that she should enjoy everything in the moment as it won't last forever.
She noted that Fisher told advised her that if there is anything else she wanted to do apart from acting, like writing or producing, she should start immediately because there will be a time when people will not look at her the same way.
Tran also said although The Last Jedi was her first major movie role, Fisher made her feel comfortable just with her presence.
