Empire Magazine spoke to Carrie-Anne Moss about her role as Jedi Master Indara in the new Star Wars original series The Acolyte, including Jedi spirituality and the importance of nailing a lightsaber fight.
EMPIRE: What was your reaction when you got the call for Star Wars?
CARRIE-ANNE MOSS: Oh, it was such an exciting call to get. Actually, my husband and my children watch all the Star Wars shows. They’re watching it, and I’m carrying a bunch of clothes upstairs to put in people’s closets. My husband calls out, ‘You should be on one of these shows!’ And literally two weeks later, I got the call.
No way!
I was like, ‘You’re kidding me!’ Leslye pitched it to me. I had watched her show Russian Doll, knew her artistry, was blown away by her vision and her ability to execute. I was like, ‘I’m all-in. When do I start?’ I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to add Star Wars to my resume. My personal resume – I don’t even mean the paper one. Within my soul and my spirit, to get to play this Jedi Master and train for the fight was [an] amazing experience. I really awakened, actually, a part of me that forgot how much I love action. I love it. I personally love being challenged. It’s a physical challenge, but it’s a mental challenge too. It helps you get into that world of the Jedi Master, with the mind-training.
I had three or four weeks to train, which isn’t very long, and the first couple of weeks you’re like, ‘I’m never gonna get this.’ And then all of a sudden it starts to click, and then you’re on set. Shooting it is always easier than the training – you get the adrenaline, the costume, the world is there. I was really thrilled that I could do it, and that I loved it, and that I wanted to do it well. ‘Gimme another take! Gimme another take!’
What was Leslye’s pitch to you? What hooked you in?
It was really when she described the story within the fight – because a good fight has a story. I love understanding the arc of a fight. When she described it to me, I was like, ‘I wanna be her. I wanna be in those shoes and discover that.’ Talking to [Leslye], she’s so creative, able to articulate her vision very clearly. You feel that way occasionally, where you have someone that has created a story – when you talk to them, you know right away. I felt that a few times in my career with some of the big things that I’ve done: Memento, The Matrix. You’re talking to the filmmaker and just go, ‘Oh, they totally get it.’ They know it so well that I trust them. And you don’t always feel that – it’s kinda rare actually. It’s a pleasure to sign on and be a part of that.
What can you tell me about Jedi Master Indara?
We meet her in a mysterious way, and initially through a very powerful fight. She’s very physically strong, she’s very mentally strong. I loved a lot of things about her. But [particularly] the containment. I love that word. I love words. And that word, ‘containment’ – even just saying it, I can feel what I had to access to play her. You’re fighting against so much to keep it right here [gestures to her centre], but also to have the power. When you have power through containment, that’s my sweet spot. This was, I think, one of the most contained characters I’ve ever played.
It’s a very Jedi thing, that centredness. Did you immerse yourself in Star Wars once you got the part?
I mean, I’ve always deeply respected the Star Wars world. As a child, I went to the movies in the movie theatre. I hadn’t been watching all of the shows – I don’t really watch all that much TV. But my respect [for Star Wars] is off the charts for it. I got the opportunity to talk to [Pablo Hidalgo] – he knows every single thing about the universe. I’m a very big reader of spiritual text, the dark and the light – I didn’t actually understand that all of this metaphysical journey that I’ve been on my adult life, since I was 25, was reflected in Star Wars. My entry in was through my own interest of metaphysics and spirituality. Seeing it reflected in this story – the hero’s journey and all of that – I have goosebumps just thinking about it. I’m very ignited by that.
I love, at this phase of my career, being surprised. Being surprised at the depth of the world. The depth of being a Jedi. The rules. And yet, bringing my own self into that. Not playing the idea of the Jedi. How do I, Carrie-Anne, playing this role, bring all of my heart, spirit, soul, experience into this person? I didn’t realise that I was as prepared from my own personal exploration for the role.
What’s it like fighting in Jedi robes? Is that tricky?
It was tricky. My physical blocks actually came from the costume. It’s really important to practice in the costumes. They’re heavy. There was a boning in the bodice – actually the costume injured me the most, because I didn’t have any movement in a certain area of my back, in my shoulders. That was something I had to do a lot of recovery with. The costume gives you the character. It definitely gave the image, but to actually be free within the fighting, it was a challenge. Between action and cut, you go into this zone – it’s only when you go back to your hotel room, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is really hurting.’
Tell me about your lightsaber. Is there any part of the design that you particularly like?
The lightsaber was really important to me. I felt like a little kid who just wanted to do it so right. I could have almost cried. I don’t usually feel that way. I had to say to everybody, ‘I want to get this so right, that I may have to make some mistakes first.’ The weight on my shoulders – and on my heart – that I felt to do the lightsaber well was something I didn’t expect. Like, ‘If this is not great, I’m really gonna cry.’ So I practised a lot in my hotel with a broomstick. I think we did end up reshooting that, actually. I said to Leslye, ‘Let’s just keep shooting. It has to be great. You have to promise me that we’ll keep doing it [if it isn’t right].’ It’s much more challenging than it looks. Making it look effortless – like I could just do it in my sleep – was the most stressful moment I had in the whole thing.
Read the interview in full here, and stream the first two episodes of The Acolyte on Disney+ from June 4th in the US and June 5th in Europe and the UK.
