Luke Skywalker Was Originally an Even Bigger Jerk in The Last Jedi
This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.[hhmc] If you thought Luke Skywalker acted ..
This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
If you thought Luke Skywalker acted like kind of an asshole in The Last Jedi, know this: he could have been far meaner. In fact, the original cut of the film—which included 20 minutes of deleted scenes that Rian Johnson promises will appear on DVD/Blu-ray releases—included a prank from the Jedi knight that some might call downright cruel.
Among those who do not like The Last Jedi is a contingent of fans complaining that in the new film, Luke behaves out of character—chucking away his old lightsaber and pranking the sincere, eager Rey, when all she wants is to learn how to defend her friends from death. Apparently, however, his games could have gone a lot further—especially in a scene about a practical joke that went too far. According to /Film, the scene took place right after the two talk about Darth Sidious:
Rey notices boats arriving at the island and there appears to be a big fire from where they’re landing. Luke tells her that it is a group of bandits who regularly come back to the island to plunder and kill the caretakers. Rey is very concerned and wants to help them, but Luke tells her that if you help them now, the raiders will come back stronger and it will make things worse in the future. He asks Rey if she is always going to be here to protect them, saying that a true Jedi Knight would do nothing and would only act to maintain balance, even when people get hurt.
Rey doesn’t like that rationale, and so she rushes to help. (Remember that shot of Rey running in the trailer that some people noticed was missing from the final film? This was apparently it.)
But when she sprints into the village square prepared to fight, she discovers a different scene entirely. The caretakers are actually having a party—complete with glow sticks, because apparently fish-nuns can still have a little fun. Rey then furiously confronts Luke, reminding him that her friends actually are dying and “that old legend of Luke Skywalker that you hate so much—I believed in it.” At that point, Luke realizes that his prank went too far.
According to /Film’s Peter Sciretta, the scene was cut because “Luke ended up coming off like an even bigger asshole.” It was also, however, just one of the many changes detailed by /Film. Another particularly interesting cut? The battle between Finn and Captain Phasma—who, despite being touted relatively heavily in the lead-up to The Force Awakens has appeared only briefly on-screen—was originally longer. A moment was cut right after Finn smashed the hole in her helmet:
A group of stormtroopers corner Finn and he tries to get them on his side, saying that they can join him and escape Phasma’s grasp, just like he has. Finn says that she’s really a coward who sold out the codes to Starkiller Base. He pleads with the First Order squad to escape with him. The Stormtroopers all look at each other . . . and in a moment borrowed from a Sergio Leone Western, Phasma pulls out her blaster and guns down all six or seven stormtroopers herself before they have any time to react. It felt like a tribute to a classic Western shoot-out, but for whatever reason, it didn’t feel right in that moment of the movie.
One final detail we’ll leave you with? Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo was supposed to be even more dismissive of Poe Dameron’s ideas—even calling him “flyboy” and “honey” at one point. Despite those remarks, though, the chemistry between the two still would have been off the charts—because as this film taught us, Oscar Isaac has chemistry with literally everyone and everything.
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:11 of 2017’s Greatest Scene-Stealers
Zendaya — Spider-Man: Homecoming
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Timothée Chalamet — Lady Bird
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Zendaya — Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya is in Homecoming for maybe all of 10 minutes, but she uses her time extra-effectively. Her performance as Michelle, an antisocial teen with a quick wit, was such an impressive turnaround from the young star’s glamorous persona that you’d be forgiven for forgetting it was even her.By Chuck Zlotnick/©2017 CTMG, Inc.
Barry Keoghan — Killing of a Sacred Deer
Director Yorgos Lanthimos must have thanked his lucky stars when he cast Keoghan in this film as Martin, a chilling young man who casts a sort of curse on a family. Keoghan elevates Lanthimos’s preference for staccato acting, adding a layer of menace to his scenes that works its way to a grand, bloody payoff.By Jima (Atsushi Nishijima)/Courtesy of A24.
Timothée Chalamet — Lady Bird
Chalamet makes a pitch-perfect turn as Kyle, an angsty boy in a band who rolls his own cigarettes and lectures on the dangers of cell phones and capitalism. We all knew a Kyle, and Chalamet immaculately captured the apex version of that particular brand of high-school snob. And yes, we know his biggest role this year was in Call Me by Your Name, but there’s actually someone else from that film worth mentioning . . .By Merie Wallace/Courtesy of A24.
Michael Stuhlbarg — Call Me by Your Name
Playing a lovable father is easy enough, but Stuhlbarg imbues his role with such warmth and passion that you’ll leave the film wishing he had been given even more to do. There’s one monologue in particular (we shan’t spoil the particulars) that he delivers about life and love that’s so big and beautiful it’ll break your heart, pick up the pieces, and mend it all over again.By Luca Campri/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
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Domhnall Gleeson — Mother!
This demented, polarizing drama from Darren Aronofsky has a Lot! Going! On! But no matter what you think of it, you have to admit that Domhnall Gleeson makes a mesmerizing turn as a Cain-ish evil son who dashes into the mansion like a malevolent whirlwind. (Honorable mention: Kristen Wiig, who shows up toward the end of the film for a surprisingly violent and unintentionally hilarious twist.)By Samir Hussein/Getty Images.
Doug Jones — The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro’s sumptuous romance is basically engineered to make you fall in love with Jones, who is unrecognizable as a mysterious creature halfway between a fish and a man. The actor, who’s made a career out of playing a variety of otherwordly creatures, plays this role with a strange sort of innocence mixed with feral roughness—but doesn’t give too much away, always leaving us curious about the fish-man’s story.Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Brooklynn Prince — The Florida Project
Prince is only 7 years old, and The Florida Project is only her second movie! Ever! In it, she plays a little girl named Moonee who lives in an Orlando motel with her mother. Not only does she have natural charisma, but she also easily holds her own with co-star Willem Dafoe, a sign that her nascent career is destined for so much more.Courtesy of A24.
Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com. She was formerly an editorial assistant at Slate and lives in Brooklyn.
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