Star Wars sis praise girl-powered galaxy – ‘Call Me’ best picture

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LOS ANGELES, Dec 4, (Agencies): Carrie Fisher’s death caused a huge disturbance in the Force, but the women of “The Last Jedi” vowed Sunday to honor her legacy in the latest girl-powered “Star Wars” chapter.

The cast came together in a secret location in Los Angeles with director Rian Johnson to build buzz for the latest chapter in the blockbuster space saga, which hits theaters on Dec 15.

“You get to see women that are not big and strong just because they’re acting like men. They’re doing something else,” said Gwendoline Christie, 39, who plays stormtrooper commander Captain Phasma.

“And also you’re seeing a developed character, or a developing character, that is showing some complex character traits. I’m delighted that something as legendary as ‘Star Wars’ has decided to reflect our society.”

“The Last Jedi” — filmed on the west coast of Ireland and at Pinewood Studios near London — sees the return of the characters introduced in 2015’s seventh installment, “The Force Awakens.”

Christie, flanked by red-robed Praetorian guards as she took the stage, was joined by returning stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domnhall Gleeson, and Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.

There were new faces too: Kelly Marie Tran as Resistance maintenance worker Rose Tico and Laura Dern, who plays Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo.

Issue

Ridley, 25, spoke of growing up in London in a liberal household where sexism wasn’t an issue — and of being overwhelmed by the rapturous response to her appearance as a rare female action star in “The Force Awakens.”

“When I got involved, I knew it was a big deal, but the response was so beyond anything I could have imagined, that it was only afterward that I was like ‘Oh — oh yeah,’” she said.

Tran, 28, spoke of the “honor and responsibility” of playing a prominent female character and wanting to do the role justice.

“And the girls in this movie kick some …. Every single one is so good,” she said.

Fisher — who played General Leia Organa when she was known simply as Princess Leia in the original 1977-83 trilogy — died last December, having already wrapped her scenes for “The Last Jedi.”

“I watched TV and film obsessively from such a young age, but [she] stayed with me throughout my formative years,” said Christie, who plays warrior Brienne of Tarth on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

“She’s really interesting, she’s really smart, she’s really funny, she’s courageous, she’s bold, she doesn’t care what people think, and she isn’t prepared to be told what to do.”

Written by Johnson, “The Last Jedi” — the eighth installment in the franchise — picks up where “The Force Awakens” left off, with Rey looking to Luke to teach her about The Force.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn has named “Call Me by Your Name” the best film of 2017. Timothee Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name”) and Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”) won top acting honors. Willem Dafoe (“The Florida Project”) and Laurie Metcalf (“Lady Bird”) claimed the supporting prizes.

The day’s voting, which lasted nearly five-and-a-half hours, provided the biggest bump for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” however. Clearly a favorite throughout, the film won three prizes and came in as runner-up in two more. After being largely ignored by a number of precursors so far this season, that ought to help Fox Searchlight breathe a little better. (It’s also great publicity for the film as it heads out into limited release this weekend.)

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