What is one of your fondest Star Wars memories as a kid?
I remember going to Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, California and waiting in line to see Return of the Jedi. I have very vivid memories of my mother reading to me what Jabba the Hutt was saying in the subtitles. I was already a pretty big Star Wars fan at a young age. If I look at the original run of Star Wars toys, any of the bounty hunters or Admiral Ackbar, those are the toys I had. I remember being super stoked to get Ewok toys too.
Were you pro-Ewok?
As a kid I was very pro-Ewok. When the movie came out I thought they were great; it was funny. It made me laugh. But now I skip to the fight with Palpatine. That's the weird thing about Jar Jar. Everyone was so quick to forget all the grief Ewoks got in the earlier films.
Which of the films is your favorite?
The Empire Strikes Back, hands down! To be honest, Empire is right up there with my top five favorite films of all time. I get that question asked a lot in interviews at press junkets and I always shy away from answering it because I love so many movies, it's hard to choose. But Empire is in my top list because I really do think it's a flawless movie in and of itself. I don't even think you have to see the original Star Wars to appreciate Empire. My wife is one of those people who hadn't really seen Star Wars before and I wouldn't hesitate to have her watch Empire first.
What is it about Empire specifically that resonates with you?
It feels like more of an adult film. As a 33-year-old man, it has more drama to me than A New Hope does. I always feel that Empire is the best, then A New Hope, and then Jedi. Each film serves its own cause, but Empire stands on its own and also does its part to tell the greater story in the trilogy. Empire is the film that raised all the stakes in movie-making and storytelling.
One of the things I learned in working with Peter Jackson on King Kong is to pay attention to where the tension is coming from in the story that you're telling. The tension is the thing that engages the audience in a way that makes the audience want to know what's going to happen and try to guess what happens next. You have to get the audience involved. And Empire is the movie that does that the best. It has the best tension. Revenge of the Sith had Empire elements of that as well, because you knew what was going to happen but you didn't know how.
How many times do you watch the Star Wars films?
At least once a year, if not more. It depends how sick I get over the course of the year. I often feel like watching Star Wars, whether I'm home sick or not.
Have you ever met George Lucas?
There was a MTV TRL screening at Skywalker Ranch for Attack of the Clones. He was very nice and cool. I'd never been to Skywalker Ranch before and it felt like I was going to Graceland for geeks. There's a definite aura to the place. As you drive to Skywalker you see things that you think George must have been influenced by when making his films. I'm originally from Northern California, so I wish I could be based out of San Francisco and still do what I do. That would be my dream.
So I went up to George, after going on a tour of Skywalker Ranch which is so beautiful and perfect, and told him "I'm so inspired to work harder so I could maybe one day have a place as beautiful as this," and did a full-on geek out. And he was very nice and said, "Thanks," and then he just sort of walked away. Luckily, that wouldn't be my only conversation I'd have with him.
Have you read any Star Wars books or comics?
I've read Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina on the recommendation of my friend and fellow Star Wars fanatic Caleb. He said it had all the characters from the cantina before and after the scenes in the movie. So that was the one book that I've read. I think it's cool. As a fan, I think it's great that you're able to dig as deep into the stories as you want.
Boba Fett is just awesome. Everything about Boba Fett in the Original Trilogy, with the exception of the way he died, is super cool. I was one of the guys who sincerely hoped in the Special Editions that there would be a shot of him flying out of the Sarlacc pit in his jetpack. Sadly, that didn't happen.
There are fans who truly believe Boba escaped, off camera. Personally, I don't think a character is really dead unless you see his head rolling past the screen.
I thought it would be really insanely cool if Lando puts his foot on the gas, they fly out and Jabba's big cruiser blows up and it stays for an extra second and you see Boba flying straight up and out of there. That would have been a really great shot, but I guess that wasn't brought to the meeting that day.
Are there any characters that you really think should have had more screen time?
The one character that really comes to mind is Wedge because it would be interesting to really get into his back story. I'd love to see more about the bounty hunters too.
A lot of side characters get the best back stories from shows like Robot Chicken and Family Guy.
I remember after seeing the first Robot Chicken: Star Wars special I was texting Seth Green that he was making punch lines about the fact that it sounds like the Jawa is saying "martini," and I thought that was only something me and my sister talked about. I just watched the Family Guy: Star Wars special for the first time and I loved that they do a call out to the Robot Chicken: Star Wars special at the end.
