The Star Wars movies and shows, as beloved as they are, have long been chastised in some circles for largely homogenous casting. In recent years, though, some significant strides have been made in making the series more inclusive. That trend continues with LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, which counts the talented Tony Revolori and Marsai Martin amongst its cast. CinemaBlend recently spoke to the two actors, who opened up about being a part of the growing wave of inclusivity within the galaxy far, far away.
Marsai Martin voices Yesi Scala – a farmer’s daughter who wants to leave the planet Fennesa and explore the galaxy. After her friends Sig and Dev Greebling alter their galaxy using the “Cornerstone,” though, the alternate version of Yesi is established as a member of the Rebellion. When I asked Martin about joining the wave of actors of color who’ve joined this franchise, the Black-ish alum conveyed how she understands that she’s now in a prime position not only within this new era for Lucasfilm’s sci-fi saga but within the entertainment industry as well:
I'm blessed enough to be able to play a character that is a clean slate, that is a young Black girl in this huge franchise that has been a thing for many, many years. And I think that I am also honored to now be in [an] industry that is constantly evolving and figuring out what those next — what the next generation of our industry looks like. You know, I feel like we are constantly growing to have more stories about us, for us, by us. And, to be able to be a part of these big franchises that are beloved by so many people that at one point was once a white male dominated is very special. And it's also — as a producer, as an entrepreneur, whoever else is following this project from a different lens than being an actor — it's really special. You know, it has a message [of] its own.
To be fair, the Star Wars saga has featured actors of color over the years. Billy Dee Williams and Samuel L. Jackson (who wants to reprise Mace Windu even now) are pillars of the franchise. Still, it’s hard to argue that major characters of color were few and far between. The past decade alone has seen the likes of John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Amandla Stenberg and Diego Luna among others. There’s still progress to be made, but there’s reason to be hopeful. As for her own project, Marsai Martin went on to share the following:
I feel like that's the beautiful thing about this project, is there's so many layers into it, you know, because you do have minorities that are coming from different walks of life, different parts of the world, to be able to play these very strong, universal characters [that are] for everyone. So I think those, all those elements, make this project even more special. And I pray to continue to be in more projects like this one, and to continue to change the narrative of [breaking] the boundaries that we've been growing, to break down.
Her co-star Tony Revolori, who is of Guatemalan descent, has already broken some barriers, thanks in large part to his role as Flash Thompson in the latest Spider-Man trilogy. (He also auditioned for Peter Parker.) On Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, Revolori voices Dev Greebling, Sig’s loving older brother who becomes a hardened Sith lord in the remixed galaxy. During our conversation, Revolori shared some thoughtful sentiments while discussing his personal experience and take on representation:
Yeah, It's not the forefront, but it's not an issue that has an easy solution. But, at the same time, I'm certainly grateful, and I have my own experiences working on the Spider Man franchises and being able to play a character on that and knowing the impact that I had to not only people but someone who's close to myself as my little brother, who was able to see himself represented on screen, which is an incredibly important thing, and seeing that continue is great.
As cognizant as he is about the impact of his roles, the Grand Budapest Hotel star appreciated one specific element about his Star Wars gig. That was the fact that race and ethnicity aren’t even a topic of discussion in the story and weren’t a specific factor when it came to casting him as well. Still, there was an aspect of the minifigure he voiced that he really liked:
What I love more than anything about this project is there's nothing mentioned about it. There's no need to mention about it when, even when the casting happened between me, it was never because I was brown or anything. It just was, and the fact that the minifigs that they have created also mirror us is just as beautiful. And I was grateful for that, and I didn't even realize that that was going to happen, and it means so much. But like Marsai was saying, you know, we want people, not only [in] front of camera, but behind camera, because they can make the decisions that put us here, to make everyone be able to notice us and see our stories and hear our stories.
It’s definitely true that it’s important to have a wide range of actors in front of the camera, but it’s just as (if not more) important to have people of different backgrounds in behind-the-scenes roles. That’s because, as Tony Revolori and Marsai Martin conveyed, the people in those positions can ensure that varied stories are told and countless people can be represented in the process. One would hope that as time goes on, positive change in that regard will continue to sweep across Hollywood and the fictional world of droids, Jedi and Sith.
You can check out LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, which has four parts, now using a Disney+ subscription. Also, look over other 2024 TV schedule entries and read up on upcoming Star Wars TV shows and movies.
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