It’s been less than a year since Andor debuted on Disney Plus and impressed longtime Star Wars fans and critics alike with its dark, mature and political story depicting the origins of the Rebellion. The series was so well received that it may have given The Mandalorian a run for its money in terms of recognition. However, it should not be forgotten that Andor itself is a prequel to another project: the first spin-off of the franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, released in 2016.
The film endured a turbulent and difficult production and received good reviews and impressive box office returns. Some fans still consider Rogue One to be the best Star Wars film of the Disney era. Now, one of the film’s stars has just opened up about her experience on Rogue One.
Acclaimed actor and martial arts superstar Donnie Yen recently sat down with GQ for the latest installment of his iconic character interview series to talk about some of his most famous roles. It’s no surprise that the actor’s Star Wars character, Chirrut Imwe, was one of the characters he talked about. As it turns out, Ian was hesitant to take on the role at first, but once he did, he did everything he could to develop Chirrut beyond what was on the script page and make him as memorable as possible.
Ian started the conversation by saying that when he was offered the role in Rogue One, he wondered if he was too old to play the character:
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I was thrilled, but at the same time I was kind of confused. Am I too damn old to take that role? I don’t know! So I actually asked my kids, ‘Do you think your father should do Star Wars? I mean, do you like Ip Man better or Star Wars better?’ And they said, ‘Star Wars, of course!’ So that changed my mind. That’s pretty much it.It looks like Rogue One fans owe Donnie Yen’s children a “thank you” for convincing him to accept the role of Chirrut Imwe. Had the star passed on the opportunity, it’s highly unlikely that Chirrut would have been portrayed as he was in the finished movie, as Yen had plenty of his own ideas for fleshing him out:
One of the creative conversations before I agreed to do it, I said, ‘You know, the role was a little bit too cliché…’ Because in the beginning the character was a little bit more serious. Then I said, ‘You know, you have enough of these kind of Asian martial arts masters. That’s fine. You know if you want me to play that, be that Asian master, you want me to swing that stick a little bit, that’s perfectly fine but shouldn’t he have a sense of humor?’ And he liked the idea, so we kind of added lines and made this character a little bit more funny.
While Ian’s character had his more serious and dramatic moments, Chirrut also undoubtedly enjoyed cracking jokes and occasionally commenting on the absurdity of the situations he found himself in. Let’s not forget his incredulous line: “Are you kidding me? I’m blind!” as Saw Guerrera’s guerrillas put a hood over his head and dragged him away after the first battle scene.
Yen’s contributions to the character didn’t end there. Apparently, it was his idea to make the character blind:
Then I just kind of suggested, ‘Would it be even better if he can’t see? Where he can feel the Force… but then somehow he has a grasp of that universe?’
Rogue One generated a lot of buzz among fans when it first came out. Force users other than the Jedi and Sith had already appeared in older legends, but Chirrut and his partner Baze Malbus were the first members of such an order to be seen in film.
Additionally, Chirrut’s final scene, where he believes in the Force and walks along Scarif Beach in the middle of a deadly firefight, is perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the film. Chirrut cannot see, but he trusts the Force to guide him, and he is rewarded.
Yen concluded the portion of the video about Chirrut by elaborating on his approach to acting in general:
In all my films and all the characters that I’ve played in my entire career, I always emphasize on the realism of the character. No matter what genre I do, I always emphasize on interpreting this character. He has to be grounded, or else you’ll be off the wall and no one understands where you’re coming from. “So that’s how I approached the whole character, not just the action side. So maybe that worked. Maybe people really came to like this character so much.
Given the success of Rogue One at the time of its release, as well as its enduring popularity, it appears that Yen’s take on the role has resonated with audiences. Chirrut was a man driven by unshakable faith and this faith inspired him to give his life for the Rebellion. Considering his character dies in Rogue One, it’s unlikely that Ian will ever reprise the role. Still, at least he made the most of the screen time he got.