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After nine films and decades of filmmaking, the Skywalker Saga finally came to an end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. J.J. Abrams had his work cut out for him, as the filmmaker was tasked with crafting a satisfying ending for not only the trilogy, but the entire Star Wars franchise. Plenty of concepts also fell to the wayside, including romantic connections from previous movies. It turns out that two stars of the movie were campaigning to have their characters' relationship become more than just friends. And no, it had nothing to do with those Poe and Finn rumors.
A handful of new characters were introduced to the Star Wars franchise in The Rise of Skywalker, despite the movie largely being focused on returning faces. One of these newcomers was Naomi Ackie who played former Stormtrooper Jannah. She instantly bonded with John Boyega's Finn due to their shared trauma, and it turns out that the actors wanted things to get a bit more steamy in Episode IX. Ackie recently explained this, saying:
I remember us being on set and trying to get [director] J.J. [Abrams] to let us do more romantically charged stuff on set and, obviously, it didn't work for the story but we were just like, 'Oh my gosh,' the chemistry is so good that we just wanted to play with it more. We had so much fun doing that. My best days were with John on that set. It was cool, there could have been something there. But then, oh my gosh, that's Finn with like three love interests. That's a lot of ladies.
FOMO alert. It looks like both John Boyega and Naomi Ackie hoped that their characters would have a romantic connection in The Rise of Skywalker, attempting to win J.J. Abrams over during filming. They might have even been playing at this during their scenes, but there was never any payoff or kiss... which is a first for Finn within the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars fans can re-watch The Rise of Skywalker on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
As Naomi Ackie mentioned in her comments to ET, Finn had already been a very eligible bachelor throughout his tenure in the galaxy far, far away. The Force Awakens saw him quickly fall in love with Daisy Ridley's Rey, spending the movie drooling over his new Force sensitive friend. And when they were separated in The Rise of Skywalker, he had a romantic connection (and a kiss) with Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico. As Ackie mentioned, three is "a lot of ladies."
Of course, there's also the long rumored romance between Poe and Finn. Fans began shipping this potential pairing since The Force Awakens, especially once Oscar Isaac revealed he'd been playing his role with a touch of romance. That never actually came to fruition, with Isaac claiming that he pitched it but was rejected by the "Disney overlords." In the end, The Rise of Skywalker was largely romance free, with the exception of Rey and Kylo Ren's kiss.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently available on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as streaming on Disney+. Check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
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