Bryce Dallas Howard on Directing Episode 6 of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Bryce Dallas Howard talks about directing the sixth episode of Skeleton Crew, titled Zero Friends Again, on how Jude Law transformed the scene on the pirate ship into a true pirate’s tale; and what it was like working with Tippett Studio to bring Mama Crab to life.

Maggie Lovitt at Collider spoke to her last week…

That’s the thing I love about Star Wars. It’s always been on the cutting edge of technology, and yet it still uses incredibly cool old-school things like stop-motion animation. I love that the studio was involved with making Mama Crab. I was so delighted to discover that. What was it like getting to incorporate that into your episode? I love stop-motion animation so much.

HOWARD: Same, same. Ditto. Absolutely. It was something, as well, when I shot the episode that I did in [The Book of] Boba Fett. We filmed the Purge of Mandalore, and in figuring out how to do the Purge of Mandalore, Phil Tippett got involved and was hugely impactful, and a muse for how we were going to approach it, and then absolutely involved in the execution and design and all of that. So it was like, “More please.” [Laughs] And I think that’s something that definitely Watts and Ford were really, really excited to do.

I remember reading the script—that character already existed, of course—and seeing all of the concept art and everything, and I just got so into her, and I just really wanted to feel her. That’s what’s exciting, also, to your point, about Star Wars. What’s exciting about Star Wars, so much of it, is the technology. It is this hybrid of the oldest technology with puppetry and the newest technology, obviously, with CG, but also robotics and everything. So with something like stop-motion animation, in terms of technology, we are using tools that have been around for longer, and it gives it a really beautiful, sort of vintage quality to it, but you also want it to feel very, very, very, very, very real. I remember, it was so cool the way it was all coming together because Mama Crab was actually in the content on the wall on the Volume, so the kids could look up and actually see Mama Crab. So even though there were elements of the design that still needed to be finalized and whatnot, it was what you saw in the episode for the most part.

Then John Knoll was there because he was our VFX supervisor—total legend, created Adobe, no big deal. [Laughs] Invented it! He’s there every day, and we’re sitting next to each other at the monitor, and he is also a director. So the first time that I met him was in 2018; I did kind of an incubation short film project at Skywalker Ranch. I was there and a bunch of other wonderful filmmakers were there, and I’d written something with my husband, and John was there as a director. So John Knoll is an incredible visionary and talent, on a number of levels. He’s the definition of a multi-hyphenate. So I was like, “This is so cool, and how can we make this cooler?” And I remember going to John and just being like, “How do we make this even cooler, John? How do we make this cooler?” He’s such a calm guy, and he was like, “Well, when the crab opens her mouth, I would imagine it smells really bad, and maybe there’s some wind or something. Maybe a bunch of slime comes out.” And I was like, “Oh my god, this is absolutely fantastic!”

Obviously, we couldn’t do the slime. We had to abide by continuity and everything. This was a, no joke, five-minutes-before-shooting idea, and it was just about, like, “Okay, let’s get the fans in there. Let’s make this more of a moment.” And John, just getting to have someone like that there to advise on the storytelling that will help breathe life into and make the inanimate animate, and to have him on this side and to have Phil Tippett on the other side is just a dream team. It’s a dream.

And beyond that, I should say, this is really also Watts and Ford. This is their show, and so any experience that I was having, Watts and Ford were a part of that. I’ve known those guys since college and respected them so much since college. I knew. I knew! I could see it immediately with them. Immediately! And Jake Schreier. So to get to be in a room with all that experience, all that talent, it’s something that I’m always so grateful for. Then [Dave] Filoni and Fav were there, as well. I mean, come on.

The other scene that was very memorable from this episode, and I think, not exaggerating, it’s landed among my top 10 Star Wars scenes, is the “I’m hungry” scene on the pirate ship. There’s so much going on, and it’s not just the script that’s fantastic or Jod’s performance; it’s the direction, too, because there are so many little things, so many little looks, so many little components. There’s so much stuff going on. It almost feels like a dance, almost like it’s got choreography to it. I just loved that moment. It’s very Dickensian, too, the script and talking about it. My background is in anthropology, so anytime you start talking about the socio-economic factors that are making these characters react the way they are—chef’s kiss. I want to know about crafting that scene and blocking that scene because it’s just so good. And the shanty? It’s just got everything!

HOWARD: Thank you! So Jude Law came up with the shanty. It was just supposed to be lines.

I love that!

HOWARD: “Tak Rennod soared, away, away…” It was just supposed to be a poem, and Jude came in and he was like, “What do you think if I sang it? If it was a shanty? Because that’s kind of what pirates do, and that’s how the lore carries on.” We were like, “Yes, please. We would like that very much, Jude Law.” [Laughs] So I’m so glad you loved that scene because it was an absolute joy to stage that and to direct that. Jude Law: world-class actor. One of the greats. Just an astonishingly lovely individual. My dad ended up working with him right afterward, and he goes, “So Jude Law is going to do this. What is he like?” And I said, “Well, get ready. You’re about to die and go to director heaven.” It’s absolutely true. He, as an actor, has a lot of energy and is very engaged. He’s very encouraging. He has a very encouraging, rolling-up-his-sleeves, very intelligent “yes, and…” kind of energy to him.

Also, it’s a scene where there’s a speech. When you’re shooting it, you’re doing it so many times, and for all of the supporting artists, all the pirates, that can be an exhausting thing, and energy can drop. When energy drops, then it drops for Jude, and then the reality of the scene, you don’t feel it anymore. The reality of the scene is that this man is fighting for his life with all the people he has lived with, worked with, and betrayed. The history is immense. And like you were saying, the circumstances, as well; everyone is coming from different situations. Different kinds of life paths have led them here now.

I was saying this today to my husband, where I was like, “I love Star Wars storytelling, where you don’t have to know anything, and you can watch it, and you’re like, ‘I get it. I get what the scene is. I get the vibe. I understand the stakes. I understand it. I don’t need to have watched one bit of Star Wars in order to understand it.’” But when it’s at its best, I feel like the people who have watched all the Star Wars, there are layers of storytelling that exist in it for them, as well.

So, for example, the character of Kona and Kona’s uniform, you’re like, “Oh my god, old-school Clone Wars. What is her story?!” You’re able to enjoy it that much more. That’s the richness of the Star Wars universe and Star Wars lore, in my perspective, that’s what’s really exciting. So, for a scene like that, there are so many characters who have so many backstories, and you want to be able to feel their humanity, even if they’re aliens. Their soul, their spirit, their story. You want to feel their stories. So it really became a scene where it was not about… they’re all in a jury, and he’s making his case. It’s wild. It’s unruly. They’re ready to kill him. It’s going to be a miracle if he turns this around. There’s real fury and rage here. Then, to tap into the love and the shared mission of it all, and they’re pirates! I love the hourglass thing.

I love the hourglass so much. And then there’s the added layer of we, as the audience, know that he’s a liar and a scoundrel, and they all know this, too, but there’s also a kernel of truth in everything he’s saying. It’s not just a last-ditch effort to win them over. He’s also talking to the wider universe about what’s going on, what has led them all to this situation, and those layers that just make the scene so good.

HOWARD: Yeah. And honestly, I have to say, that was on the page. That speech was already there, so it was one of those things, as a director stepping in, where I was like, “I really want to breathe as much life into this as possible.” Because also, come on—Jude Law doing the speech? Oh my god. Oh my god. But there are so many wonderful actors, just remarkably versatile, talented, committed, amazing, amazing actors. Like the woman that he’s looking at when she’s like, “You’ve got the right of last appeal,” and when she’s telling them all to shut up, basically.

I want to know her story.

HOWARD: I know, I know!

Read the interview in full here, and stream the first six episodes of Skeleton Crew on Disney+ now.

Images: Melinda Sue Gordon/Disney