The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg reveals how The Hunger Games prepared her for Star Wars
"This feels kind of similar..."
The Acolyte's Amandla Stenberg has compared working on the Star Wars spin-off to one of her earliest screen roles, that of Rue in the first Hunger Games movie.
The actor appeared in the dystopian action film when she was just 14 years old as the youngest competitor in the Capitol's 74th Hunger Games, which saw her lose her life after being stabbed by fellow contender Marvel.
Speaking about the parallels between starring in two "huge sci-fi franchises", Stenberg told RadioTimes.com exclusively: "I think in a lot of ways... you're exposed to really particular environments, like I remember going to Comic Con for the first time, and going to convention centres when I was a kid, and that really stoking my love of sci-fi and fantasy, and just being so happy and excited to be in those rooms.
"And this feels kind of similar. I got to go to Star Wars Celebration, and I got to cosplay there. Actually, every single event for this show feels like I'm going to a Con, or like I get to cosplay or interact with fans of the universe, or just nerds in general [laughs]. And that's so much fun. So yeah, it reminds me of that in a lot of ways."
The Acolyte is a mystery thriller set in the final days of the High Republic era, before the events of the main Star Wars films.
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Stenberg is playing two roles, one of whom is Mae, a "dangerous warrior" who is pitted against respected Jedi Master Sol, played by Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae, following a "shocking crime spree".
"As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems…."
Details about Stenberg's other role have yet to be revealed.
Read more:
- The Acolyte's Amandla Stenberg confirms she's playing 2 roles – and teases heartbreaking story
- The Acolyte's new trailer teases mysterious Sith Lord in Star Wars series
"If Star Wars is about the underdog versus the institution, [in The Acolyte] the Jedi are the institution," showrunner Leslye Headland said recently.
"I was so interested in a storyline where the Jedi were at the height of their power — and I don't mean The Phantom Menace, because at that point, there's a Sith Lord in the Senate that they're not picking up on."
The rest of the cast includes Carrie-Anne Moss, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Margarita Levieva and Joonas Suotamo.
Star Wars: The Acolyte will launch on Disney Plus on Tuesday 4th June. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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