How Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae became a Jedi Master in Star Wars' The Acolyte: 'I was quite shocked'

“Hello, my name is JJ,” beamed actor Lee Jung-jae in English as he shook my hand before our interview in a hotel in Seoul, South Korea. Clad in a stylish neutral ensemble, the 51-year-old was all smiles as he candidly spoke (through an interpreter) about his role in the new Disney+ series The Acolyte, the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise.

In fact, Lee was so forthcoming with his responses that you would have thought he was a franchise veteran. But make no mistake. The Acolyte marks the first time the Squid Game star is wielding a lightsaber.

More importantly, it’s also the South Korean icon’s first English-speaking role after an illustrious career spanning decades. In a separate press conference, Lee revealed that he had two dialect coaches and two English tutors to help him with his performance.

"The cast and crew were very patient with me and for that, I'm thankful."

The eight-episode series, which premiered on Jun 5, is set around 100 years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and stars Lee as Sol, a Jedi Master who investigates a crime involving his former student. 

Responses have been edited for clarity.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE. HOW MUCH OF A STAR WARS FAN ARE YOU? DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MOVIE OR CHARACTER?

My first memory of Star Wars, which has stayed vividly with me, is watching A New Hope [the first Star Wars film released in 1977]. To me, that was the most impactful instalment. Of course, after that, there were many other films and series filled with new stories and characters. But still, for me, A New Hope left the biggest impression.

When it comes to characters, I think it’s a little bit different. Because the Star Wars universe has given us so many different characters to love, it’s difficult for me to choose just one. 

I think the one character that inspired me and helped me create Sol was Qui-Gon Jinn [played by Liam Neeson in The Phantom Menace]. I wanted to “create” a connection between my character and him. 

I went wild with my imagination, thinking that since The Acolyte takes place earlier (than the Star Wars movies), maybe Qui-Gon Jinn could have been a Padawan [Jedi apprentice] of Sol.

HOW DID IT FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST FOUND OUT YOU GOT THE ROLE OF SOL AND THAT YOU WOULD OFFICIALLY BE PART OF THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE?

Before the casting was finalised, I wasn’t given any details as to what kind of character I’d be portraying. So all I had heard was that I could star in a Star Wars (instalment). When I finally heard that (my character) was going to be a Jedi Master, I was quite shocked. I was in disbelief, thinking ‘Me? Playing a Jedi in Star Wars?’

It was only after the casting was finalised that I got the script. When I read it, I realised (Sol) was a very important character in the story.

I wish I had more time to prepare for the role, honestly. But we had to start shooting right away, so I flew over to the UK and took part in the training camp. After that, everything was just a whirlwind of events.

Honestly, sitting here with you and speaking about my character – a Jedi Master – still feels very unreal to me.

ON THAT NOTE, WHAT'S THE MOST FUN ASPECT OF PLAYING A JEDI? IS IT THE LIGHTSABERS, COSTUMES OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Well, obviously, the biggest appeal would be getting to work with lightsabers. I was really curious about the kind of choreography that was going to be there for the lightsabers. 

When I arrived at the training camp for the action sequences, they actually had all of the pre-visuals ready. They would tell me, "This is the scene that you’ll be in and this is the action sequence" and whatnot. 

So each action scene had already been “created” in video form. It was all done in collaboration with Hollywood’s best teams, and it was thanks to them that that was made possible. 

THE ACOLYTE IS YOUR FIRST ENGLISH-SPEAKING ROLE AND FIRST HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE WORKING ON THIS AND WITH A KOREAN SHOW LIKE SQUID GAME?

I think when it comes to the actual method of creating content or the overall system or the way we work, it’s pretty much similar. It’s hard to tell what is different between Hollywood and Korean productions.

But there are some differences in terms of the technology that is used on set, and I think that has more to do with the genre. It’s a matter of choice as to what kind of technologies (a production team) chooses to utilise in creating a film or series.

Relatively speaking in South Korea, we don’t have that many films or series with the backdrop being the vast universe. So we didn’t have a reason to adopt those technologies. 

But when it comes to Star Wars, its backdrop is the vast galactic universe and there’s a lot of technology that is needed to portray that.

So I think it’s not so much of a Hollywood vs Korean system but it’s more about the Star Wars system that is a little bit unique, compared to other productions.

The first two episodes of The Acolyte begin streaming on Disney+ on Jun 5. New episodes air every Wednesday.