Fresh off of his appearances in The Mandalorian, Star Wars Holocron got the opportunity to speak with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee on playing Carson Teva in the hit Disney+ series, his love for Star Wars, the state of fandom, representation, and more.
In speaking of his long-standing love for Star Wars, Lee discussed how the three trilogies had unique impacts on him at different periods of his life:
“I was 5 years old [when A New Hope released] when my dad took my sister and I to see it, 8 years old for Empire when my babysitter took my sister and I to see it, and I was 11 years old for Return of the Jedi and my sister and I went by ourselves to see it. That relationship with the movies where I was going to those movies is really stuck in my head. And then the prequel trilogy, 1999 I was working at Blockbuster Video when The Phantom Menace came out, 2002 I was married already at that point, and then 2005 I was a dad already at that point. Going from a retail job to having a kid. And then the next set of trilogies, the sequel trilogy, as a dad, bringing my kids to see it too and watching them go through that cycle and it being their first Star Wars movie in the theater. And I took them to all three of [the sequels]. It helps that I’m a big Star Wars nerd too. And then they have their own formed opinions on these movies. Talk about a full life cycle. I feel really old! [Laughs].”
As a fan, Lee felt like his wildest dreams came true when he was cast in The Mandalorian:
“I use this turn of phrase a lot, but I felt like Cinderella at the ball. You don’t expect to be there and when you’re there everything is so beautiful. And so above every other experience you’ve had working on sets and what not. I’m still speechless about it and it’s still very surreal, because it’s a universe I’ve always wanted to play in. It’s something I’ve fantasized about being a part of since I was a little kid.”
While working on The Mandalorian, Lee was blown away by the advanced technology used to bring the show to life, especially the volume:
“I got to see things that I thought I would never be able to see in terms of the technology they use…This is cutting edge tech. This is next generation stuff that is so specific to just that show. It’s amazing. I mean, the volume is transformative, because it’s immersive. You go in there and you cannot believe what’s happening in front of your eyes is actually happening. It’s so realistic. And the confluence of technology and innovation and intelligence and planning to get all that to come together is … I’m standing there and thinking, ‘I’m living in the future.’ This is the future. Like in the 50s when everyone was thinking about flying cars and stuff like that, that’s what it felt like. Because, you’re not on location. But you might as well be, because it looks exactly the same. And so that was really cool.”
Given The Mandalorian’s mammoth popularity, Lee is appreciative of what working on something this successful means for his impressive acting career more broadly:
“I have a bunch of stuff on my resume. But having The Mandalorian on there jumps it up a couple of notches in terms of credibility. I was the lead on a hit Canadian television series that is doing great on Netflix, it’s internationally known. And then, I do two episodes of The Mandalorian and my IMDB page just explodes! [Laughs] All of a sudden, everyone is looking at it. It’s amazing the power of [the Star Wars franchise] and the effect it will have on people’s careers and resumes. You look at that and you go, ‘Legit. He’s on a hit show on Disney+ and is part of a huge franchise that has spanned 40+ years. That is absolutely insane. I’m so grateful for that opportunity. I keep saying that. Grateful. Grateful. Grateful. But I am. I got to live a dream that millions have had and haven’t had the opportunity to, sort of, follow through on to get that opportunity. So I’m very grateful for it. I’m still in disbelief.”
