Things You Should Know About 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
Producers Were Charged With Breaking Safety Laws
Months after the film's debut, producers were charged with breaking workplace health and safety laws in the UK. The charges stemmed from an accident that happened on the second day of shooting near London in June of 2014. A door from the Millennium Falcon fell on Harrison Ford, shattering his ankle and requiring him to get surgery. The production schedule had to be shifted to allow him time to recover. In February of 2016, Britain's Health and Safety Executive said that their investigation had finally turned up enough evidence to take the matter to trial.
But it wasn't all pain and no gain. In fact, at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, J.J. Abrams revealed that the time off from set to let Harrison heal actually helped him rewrite and strengthen the relationship between Finn and Rey:
When I was on the set of the Millennium Falcon and we started to do work with Rey and Finn, the first time we did it, it didn’t work at all. It was much more contentious. I didn’t direct it right. It was set up all wrong, and when Harrison Ford got injured — which was a very scary day — we ended up having a few weeks off, and it was during that time that I really got to look at what we had done and rewrite quite a bit of that relationship. So when we came back to work again, we actually just reshot from the ground up, those scenes. It was an amazingly helpful thing to get these two characters to where they needed to be.
A Terminally Ill Fan Got To See The Movie Two Months Early
Terminally ill mega-fan Daniel Fleetwood requested to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before his passing. His wish sparked the global #ForceForDaniel social media campaign, and Fleetwood (who suffered from an aggressive form of cancer) was eventually treated to a screening of the film two months before it opened to the public. It happened just one week before his death on Tuesday, November 10, 2015.
Kevin Smith Has A Line In The Film
In January 2016, Matthew Wood - supervising sound editor on The Force Awakens - released a full list of additional voice actors and their lines in the film. Among them was Kevin Smith, who gave life to a stormtrooper with the line, "We have incoming at 28.6! Move!"
One Question Convinced J.J. Abrams To Direct The Film
J.J. Abrams initially (and famously) turned down directing The Force Awakens, until Kathleen Kennedy said to him, “Who is Luke Skywalker?” This question made him reconsider his decision and history was made.
You Can Visit Luke's Island
If you've seen the movie, you know Old Man Skywalker pops up in the final scene, chilling on a picturesque island. But did you know that you, too, can dramatically turn around while standing atop that very same rock in the sea? Skellig Michael is an Irish island in County Kerry, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though uninhabited today, it was once the site of a sixth-century Christian monastery.
If you go, you'll climb 600 steep steps to the beehive huts of what was once one of Europe's most remote religious communities.
BB8 Is Not Computer Generated
“There were a lot of discussions about how having a CG BB8 would be so much easier for shooting,” said Abrams. “But we also knew it would be better for the film, for the actors, for the sets, for the look of it if it were performed [for real].”The Script Was Printed On Special Secret Paper
Anthony Daniels, C-3PO, revealed that secrecy surrounding the script was intense. “For heaven’s sake, it’s a movie. When I got the script, it was typed in black on paper of the deepest red so you couldn’t photocopy it. I got a hangover just reading it."Lawrence Kasdan Refused To Work On The Prequels
Kasdan, who wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, was not only a co-writer on The Force Awakens, he also co-wrote Solo. Now that he's back on team Star Wars, he feels safe to reveal that Lucas asked him to come back for the prequels, but he turned him down.
J.J. Abrams Pulled Back On References
Abrams said, "We've obviously had a lot of time to talk about what's happened outside of the borders of the story that you're seeing. So there are, of course, references to things, and some are very oblique so that hopefully the audience can infer what the characters are referring to."
However, there's a limit. "We used to have more references to things that we pulled out because they almost felt like they were trying too hard to allude to something," adding that "the key is that references be essential so that you don’t reference a lot of things that feel like, oh, we’re laying pipe for, you know, an animated series or further movies. It should feel like things are being referenced for a reason."
Ren Built That Weird Lightsaber Himself
After circulating as an Internet rumor, Abrams confirmed the origins of Ren's lightsaber saying, “The lightsaber is something that he built himself, and is as dangerous and as fierce and as ragged as the character,” Abrams says. Expanding on that, the director says the character isn’t as fully formed as Darth Vader was when we met him.Poe Dameron Is Like Han Solo, But More Awesome
“He’s the best frickin’ pilot in the galaxy,” said Isaac. “He’s been sent on a mission by a certain princess, and he ends up coming across John Boyega’s character, and their fates are forever intertwined.”Boyega Asked Ford To Sign His Han Solo Toy (And Ford Did)
“He was like, ‘This is weird,’” said Boyega with a huge grin. “‘But I’ll sign it for you.’ And he signed it on set!”Jakku Was Really Filmed In The Desert
Abrams hasn't said much about Jakku, but he did explain why he wanted to shoot in the 120-degree heat of the deserts in Abu Dhabi for his new planet. “Star Wars is as much a western and fairy tale as it is anything,” he said. “What you expect and want to see are real, tangible, John Ford beautiful landscapes. And shooting in Abu Dhabi provided just that.”Abrams Says You Can Watch The Film Without CGI And It Still Makes Sense
“It’s an amazing thing to be able to watch the movie and you can see what it is,” said Abrams. “You don’t need to use your imagination, because you actually have those sets there with the actors too.”Kathleen Kennedy Wanted To Bring More Women To The Star Wars Universe
When asked how she would imagine herself in the Star Wars universe, producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, “I don’t think I have a lot of choices originally” - a clear acknowledgement that the Star Wars movies have traditionally been lacking in female characters.
“But I will say, that will change,” Kennedy added. “There are really strong women not only in Episode VII, but the conversations we’re having moving forward, there are going to be a lot of wonderful people. I have two girls, too, so I’m under a lot of pressure.”
Captain Phasma Is Named After A Cult Horror Film
Played by Gwendoline Christie, the chrome stormtrooper Captain Phasma is already a fan favorite. As for that name, it came from the movie Phantasm. Apparently, the chrome design of Phasma's suit reminded Abrams of the metal ball in Phantasm and the rest is history.
Kylo Ren Isn’t His Real Name
Just like Darth Vader wasn't Anakin's real name, Kylo Ren isn’t the name of the man under that mask. “He is a character who came to the name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren,” Abrams said. What he wouldn't say is who the Knights of Ren are, and now a whole new mystery has been unleashed.Poe Dameron Is Named After J.J. Abrams’ Assistant
J.J. Abrams' assistant's last name is Dameron. When Oscar Isaac's character was announced those in the know wondered if he was named after Abrams' assistant. Apparently yes. Why? According to Adams he just liked the sound of it.
Both Sides Of The Force Believe They're The Good Guys
Abrams on the motivations of Kylo Ren: “I think that there are two sides to the Force. Both sides, arguably, would see themselves as the hero of their story, and I think that applies here.”Kylo Ren Loves Darth Vader
While this has been a rumor that's been floating around for some time, the film's antagonist is a total Darth Vader nut. J.J. Abrams has confirmed, “[Ren] is well aware of what’s come before, and that’s very much a part of the story of the film.”When Abrams Came On Board, There Was No Story In Place
When Abrams joined the production there wasn't a set idea for the film. Abrams said of the writing process, "There were so many options and so many paths that could be taken. Even when we were in debate - and sometimes it was frustrating and heated - it was always thrilling, because it seemed almost everywhere you looked there was something potentially extraordinary, which felt very much like the DNA of Star Wars itself.”Leia Has A New Title
When Princess Leia asked Han to "please stop calling her that," in The Empire Strikes Back, JJ Abrams listened. He told Entertainment Weekly that the former Princess of Alderaan has a new title now - General Leia.
Carrie Fischer had a better suggestion about what she thought people should call her beloved character. "People should say, 'Hey! You! My one true joy!'" she joked.
Lupita Nyong'o Didn't Realize She Was Auditioning for Star Wars
After winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years a Slave, Lupita Nyong'o was running on pure adrenaline. She was trying to get jobs left and right, so she went to a myriad of random auditions, and barely knew what they were for half the time.
Nyong'o said, "I didn't really know what I was auditioning for. I guess I thought I should find work, you know? I was so busy. I barely remember that audition, and then two months later, [Abrams] called me."
She also claims that the only part of the audition that she remembers is crouching down low and using her hands as a gun.
