Kelly Marie Tran may not be set to appear in any upcoming Star Wars movies or TV shows, but there’s a little something for Star Wars fans in her latest movie, The Wedding Banquet. When CinemaBlend spoke to the actress who grew famous for playing Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (alongside her castmates Lily Gladstone and Han Gi-Chan), she had the perfect reaction to the franchise following her to her queer romantic comedy.
In The Wedding Banquet, Kelly Marie Tran plays Angela, a gay woman in a relationship with Lily Gladstone’s Lee, who agrees to marry her male gay friend Min (Han Gi-Chan) to help him get his green card after he offers to pay for her partner’s IVF procedure in exchange. In the movie, which earned tons of buzz when it premiered at Sundance, while Min and Angela are getting married, Min hilariously quips that she looks like Queen Amidala from the Star Wars prequels.
When I asked Tran about the moment, here’s what she said:
That was in the script before I was even cast. And then when I read it, I loved it.
I don’t know about you, but I love a meta moment like this. Even though the decision to have the Star Wars reference ultimately had nothing to do with Tran’s role in the franchise, it kind of turns out to be a sweet little poke at her famed role.
And I mean… she looks just like Padmé, too!
The line is said in the movie by Angela’s husband-to-be, however, the actor playing him was not even aware he was quoting Star Wars when he read the line. In Han Gi-Chan’s words from the interview:
I had to look up on Google for that.
Aside from the Star Wars of it all, The Wedding Banquet is most definitely one of the upcoming LGBTQ+ movies worth checking out, especially in theaters. It’s a remake of the 1993 movie from Ang Lee of the same name that updates the story with a refreshing twist. Writer/director Andrew Ahn, who previously warmed our hearts with a clever queer spin on Pride & Prejudice with Fire Island back in 2022, also notably helms the film.
While Kelly Marie Tran was working onThe Wedding Banquet, the actress was inspired to come out as queer to Vanity Fair after being on set with a primarily queer cast, including her love interest in the film, Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone and SNL cast member, Bowen Yang. Tran’s Disney Princess character in Raya And The Last Dragon also previously sparked LGBTQ+ conversations.
While we’re not sure if Kelly Marie Tran will ever play Rose Tico in live action again, especially after harassment from the fandom, it’s so nice to see the actress find her stride in films that are important to her, and even see this little wink to her time in the beloved series.
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