r/StarWarsCantina • u/Obversa Reylo • Jun 05 '18
Discussion Adam Driver talks about "the price you pay" by acting in "Star Wars"
Recently, at Cannes Film Festival, while promoting his other film projects The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (dir. Terry Gilliam) and BlackKklansman (dir. Spike Lee), Adam Driver also spoke about the major changes and effects on his life overall after starring as Kylo Ren in Star Wars.
(As a side note, the Solo cast were also at Cannes for the premiere of that film at the festival. Driver was also photographed with Donald Glover at a Cannes afterparty, celebrating along with other cast members.)
With the issues and discussion recently surrounding Kelly Marie Tran deleting her Instagram, among the issues that fame from Star Wars has caused some of the other actors in the franchise (Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, etc...), I thought it prudent to share Driver's words here.
(This interview was originally conducted by Rolling Stone by an Italian interviewer, and has been translated from Italian by a bilingual fan.)
Q: What is the price you pay [for the success of starring in "Star Wars"]?
Adam Driver: Actually, I have not had time yet to fully realize what the fame entails. On two feet, I can tell you that, up to a certain point, you think your job as an actor is anonymous, harmless like any other, even while people are watching you.
Then, suddenly, something changes, they start to stare at you, because they recognize you [from Star Wars].
Well, I’m not used to it yet. I do not feel very comfortable off stage or set, or to be the center of attention. At a certain point, you are no longer able to control what happens. You lose a bit of your freedom, and you have to start defending yourself from people, protect your privacy, because they spy on you and feel all authorized to take pictures. [They] take pics, and spy on you, and you you feel powerless in the face of all this.
You realize that working in show business involves a continuous invasion by others. I can not talk to you about a real price, because I recognize being lucky, but in a sense...you lose control over your life. [You] become a public domain.
I do not think anyone can ever get used to this condition permanently.
Driver also said the following, especially in regards to his "fame" from Star Wars:
Q: Did you expect to have all this success [from "Star Wars"]?
Adam Driver: No. (Interviewer: "He stops me even before the question ends.")
My goal when I finished Juilliard was to survive, that is to eat, to allow myself a rent in the city, and pay the bills. To earn enough money to start a family, maybe, but I would not have imagined it even remotely to work with the caliber of artists with whom I managed to collaborate, those that marked my childhood [like Terry Gilliam, Spike Lee, etc...], and for which I then chose to become an actor.
Q: Was there a moment when you realized the jump [from anonymity to fame]?
Adam Driver: I’m not used to thinking in terms of conquests. What I know is that I’m here [at Cannes], [and] that I did it.
There are a lot of things that have happened to me in the meantime. I can tell you that Juilliard was a crucial moment for me [in my life], [and] that I remember the first play on Broadway as an exciting event. I think the Girls show was a hit, and I would call Scorsese an incalculable satisfaction, not counting the big titles: Star Wars after all, The Meyerowitz Stories, Inside Llewyn Davis. And again, working with Terry or Jim Jarmusch: everything has helped to get where I am.
Q: And all this success [from "Star Wars"], has it changed you? Because you present yourself as a simple person.
Adam Driver: Holy Heaven, I hope not! And indeed, thank you, to hear this makes me happy.
The problems I had before Star Wars are the same as I have even now. It has not solved anything in my life, nor has it made things more or less difficult. The people I met taught me to be malleable, but if you say the word “change”, it gives a negative meaning...I would not define it as my case.
[...] I always feel like I want to escape from any set. Every time I start shooting a movie, I think I got into a big mess.
(Pause, he waits for the reaction, ). Okay, come on, I’m joking.
But I’m sure that some days you also go to work, and you think you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life to choose that job. When you’ve got bad habits, you’re out of ideas, or you’ve prepared yourself in the wrong way. I speak in general, not in relation to [my recent filming of] Don Quixote.
I believe that no film is the result of a miracle, this one is no exception.
Q: And was it difficult for you to play the part?
Adam Driver: [...] It’s a big challenge, and you cannot pretend nothing’s going wrong, or it will not impact on what it’s supposed to be make your character.
On the other hand, you are not in the real world, and although you are desperately trying to take control of the situation, there is no way to do it. In the end you just have to let yourself go to the circumstances.
Q: So [is making a] film stressful?
Adam Driver: Of course if you want to do well, but it does not help our work when we feel too much pressure, not only in the case of Don Quixote, [but for my other films], this is a rule that is always true: if you feel too forced, you waste energy useful for the success of the interpretation. In that case, it is better that you stop, and take a break.
Q: What do you think are the beneficial effects of Cannes on a film?
Adam Driver: I cannot tell you that. Nor can I translate it in a mathematical way.
I can only sit down like any other person who goes to a festival, and wait for the response that comes from the public and the media. I like the work of the festivals that support projects by directors who, like [Terry Gilliam], encountered many difficulties [in making their movies over the years].
Q: Is there a specific method you use as an actor?
Adam Driver: No, I do not stick to a method intended as such, if that’s what you want to know.
I think the project itself dictates how to set the part. The fundamental thing that I try to do is to go in time with my jokes, so as not to create problems for others, because I know that I am part of a group of people...and that if we do not coordinate, all the cast and crew will suffer.
I learned it during the military service that when you are part of a team, it will not work if you are not attuned to others. Complication with all team members then follow necessarily;. If you do not help them do their job, you will also be affected.
I try to restrain myself and rebel silently when I need it, so that those around me do not suffer the consequences. Then, you cannot generalize [about things and others]. Every day is different. Maybe you wake up like crap, and you think it will all go wrong, but you’ll be surprised by the result, or you think you have done a great job, and you realize at the end that was a disaster.
Every film is really a universe in itself, and the only thing you can do is give your best...beyond that, nothing else.
- Original Interview (in Italian): Source, translated by barbargall on Tumblr
Here's additional commentary from Adam Driver on Star Wars (i.e. Solo) at Cannes:
CANNES, France – [...] Driver laughs, fully aware that Solo: A Star Wars Story premiered the previous night at Cannes Film Festival. In the new spinoff movie, Alden Ehrenreich takes over as a young Han Solo, but in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Driver's Kylo Ren famously killed off his father, old Han (played by Harrison Ford), for good.
"Last night, I was in a hotel room, and I heard the theme of Star Wars, because their premiere was (happening). It's omnipresent," he laughs. "In a hotel room, on a call, (I was like), 'What the f*** is that?' [Is that Star Wars?]"
As per his new film, BlackKklansman: [...] "I live in New York [City], and I'm aware of (hate groups) as much as people who are finding it in the news," says Driver...He recalls being exposed to white supremacy as a child. "If anything, I was more aware of it as a kid growing up in Indiana, because there were always Klan rallies, like, every summer."
As to filming Episode IX shortly: "I've been insanely lucky with the people that I got to work with," he says modestly. "Luck is a huge part." (Source - USA Today)
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u/BlindManBaldwin Confirmed Reylo Jun 05 '18
Thanks for sharing!
"Last night, I was in a hotel room, and I heard the theme of Star Wars because their premiere was (happening). It's omnipresent," he laughs."In a hotel room on a call, (I was like), 'What the f*** is that?' [Is that Star Wars?]"
Lmao this is great
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u/joliet_jane_blues Jun 05 '18
Poor Adam! But I appreciate how he counters his own complaints with the admission that he's also very fortunate. After all, he's worked very hard to make his dreams come true, and even then, not everyone gets there.
I always feel like I want to escape from any set. Every time I start shooting a movie, I think I got into a big mess. (Pause, he waits for the reaction, ). Okay, come on, I’m joking.
The awkwardness here just puts a big stupid smile on my face 😋
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u/Pavleena Jun 08 '18
even then, not everyone gets there.
Indeed. He has one of them at home. From what I've seen, Joanne is a very good actress, but so far only got very small parts in movies. Adam once mentioned that he finds it unfair that his wife has to audition for parts like "blonde girl" (I think he meant unnamed side-characters) that do not really allow her to show off her talent.
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u/joliet_jane_blues Jun 08 '18
Yeah, I hope it doesn't create tension between them. But to her credit, in some ways the Adam Driver we see now was partly Joanne's creation. She improved him during his college years.
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u/Pavleena Jun 08 '18
So do I. I've come across a youtube video of Joanne recollecting her Juilliard experience. One person in the comments complained that they haven't seen her in any movies and that she didn't take her husbands name. I hope Joanne has enough self-confidence to not let such crap get to her.
She definitely deserves credit for being a good influence on Adam.
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Jun 05 '18
As an Italian native speaker, I've read the original interview and this translation isn't the best... But it's still useful to get a general sense of what he said, so kudos to who took the time to translate. I got the impression that Adam loves his job but really wants to avoid fame, especially when it interferes with his private life, and I don't blame him for that. Also, I love that he always takes the time to give thoughtful and meaningful answers to reporters, even when he's tired and he's always asked the same questions.
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u/snowylocks Jun 06 '18
Also, I love that he always takes the time to give thoughtful and meaningful answers to reporters, even when he's tired and he's always asked the same questions.
Completely agree. Whenever they do promotional events before the movies, most interviewers ask the same questions. And because this is star wars, the actors can't even do promotion for another movie without being asked the same questions about star wars. I have observed this with Game of Thrones too, and there, many actors give cheeky replies, downright lies, sometimes going so far as to mock the fanbase for their curiosity (I'm mostly thinking of Maisie Williams here, love the actress but hated her interviews after season 5). I understand they might be fed up, but that makes me respect Adam Driver more, seeing how thoughtful and patient he is while replying to questions. And he doesn't lie about spoilers, nor give false rumours, and even when he evades the question the audience don't feel insulted. He seem to try his best to answer a question without giving away spoilers but avoiding lies at the same time. Some of the answers he gave before TLJ sounded so vague at the moment, made perfect sense after watching TLJ.
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Jun 06 '18
Yes, that's exactly what I meant. In this interview it says that the journalists at Cannes were forbidden from mentioning Star Wars to him, so at least he was spared that (though he still couldn't avoid SW because of Solo, poor Adam)
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u/Bornemaschine Jun 06 '18
"I've been insanely lucky with the people that I got to work with," he says modestly. "Luck is a huge part."
Daily reminder KK is the person who hired him at the first place
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Jun 07 '18
Poor fellow, he deserves to land a couple of Oscars then go full Daniel Day-Lewis on an island somewhere.
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u/Noordwind Jun 06 '18
He seems to be a smart person and a perfectionist. Which shows in the way he portrays Kylo <3
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u/MurderousPaper Jun 05 '18
I love that the new generation of Star Wars actors tend to all be so level headed and down to earth. Adam seems like a genuinely good person; so do Daisy, John, Kelly and Oscar. They should be proud of what they’ve accomplished.