Precious Roy here, with a small tidbit about Episode 8 concerning the new Resistance leader!
Laura Dern’s character in STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, is a ‘divisive’ figure in the Resistance, according to Dern and Entertainment Weekly. Her presence goes against the usual style of wooing the audience to her side, and her agenda and motivations as the new de facto Resistance leader may be a bit complicated. In the interview, Dern and co-star Oscar Isaac indicate that Holdo’s style is very different than Leia’s (and may be the reason Poe asks Leia permission to ‘jump into an X-Wing and go blow something up’). Her actions sound opposed to Leia’s; a deliberate choice to make the audience uneasy to trust her. According to Dern, “You have to sort of figure out whose side you’re on or what your feelings are about her.” Even Holdo's name is the style reserved for Star Wars wild cards-- Solo, Lando, Jango, and so on.
And then there’s her color. She’s purple, hair to feet, in garb. From the interview, Dern declares that this is a very deliberate move about defying a stereotype of female bosses. And Holdo’s look had a great deal of input beyond the costume designers. According to Dern, “From the director to the producers, everyone was painstaking about not only the look but even the exact color of hair, what it should be and trying different versions.”
Holdo’s fondness for purple could prove to be more than just a statement about pantsuits: it could also be a clue as to her ‘balance’ or true loyalties. Purple has a very specific history in the Star Wars films, and despite being a traditionally royal color, we rarely see purple. Mace Windu’s lightsaber was purple, but Samuel L. Jackson may have picked the color on a preference, not for a Star Wars-connected color motif. There’s a reasonable line of thinking that the color purple, in the hands of Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams may have a very specific signifier. (Then again, it could be that everyone involved just liked Dern in purple.)
I’m not sure what to make of Episode 8. While it could be a colossal misfire, it could also be the Citizen Kane of the Star Wars legacy, from the information we’re getting… whatever the verdict is, the choices Johnson are making appear to be calculated risks that are pulling the fandom out of complacency. Just a little more hyped now.
Thanks for the heads up from the below sites!
https://www.avclub.com/laura-dern-says-her-star-wars-the-last-jedi-character-1820651532
http://ew.com/movies/2017/11/20/star-wars-last-jedi-laura-dern-admiral-holdo/
See you later Sucker's!
Precious Roy
