THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Director J.J. Abrams Sticks Up for Fans, Even the Contentious Ones
Star Wars fans have gotten more and more contentious and hard to please over the years. There was the whole debacle over the poor guy who played Jar Jar Binks feeling suicidal after so many fans were so vicious about his character, then everyone just hating the prequels, and the great divide over the last two films. Star Wars and all it encompasses is a subject that many are very passionate about, and while some would say it can get vitriolic or maybe crosses a line, just know that J.J. Abrams has your back as a fan, no matter how you feel.
In a recent interview with Peter Travers on the ABC News segment Popcorn, Abrams talked about the fans of the franchise, and responded to Travers calling the fans an “army” who will “march on you” if they’re not happy with the film, by saying:
“You can’t look at fans of Star Wars as an adversary. They’re passionate, and certainly can be contentious, but the fact they care — I feel like I, as a Star Wars fan, understand that love for the series. So, you know, I feel blessed to be involved in something that matters so much to so many people.”
Travers went on to ask whether Abrams stays off the internet when he’s creating something, and Abrams responded saying that when he reads something where someone is “unsupportive, which is a kind way of saying brutal,” he usually says, “Huh, they’ve got a point.” But if he reads praises of people thinking he’s great, he’s quicker to say, “They don’t know what they’re talking about.” He says he is much quicker to sympathize with the negative things people say.
He went on to add that’s it’s never pleasant to read things that are negative, but he also feels that “spirited debate is not a bad thing.”
Well, it’s a good thing he feels that way, because he will forever be associated with the final chapter in the Star Wars Skywalker saga, so the spirited debate will live on.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters everywhere this weekend. Will you be there?