Adam Driver Names His On-Set Costumer An Unsung Hero Of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
The "Star Wars" franchise is, without hyperbole, easily one of the most successful in film history. The series has grossed well over $10 billion collectively at the worldwide box office (per The Numbers). A big chunk of this box office success came when Disney purchased the rights from George Lucas and started producing tons of films set in the universe, including the last three films in the Skywalker saga, which began all the way back in 1977 with Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" and ended in 2019 with "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
The sequel trilogy, while featuring original cast members like Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, brought in a brand new, younger cast. Perhaps one of the most memorable additions to the franchise was Adam Driver's Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo, Han and Leia's son who has fallen to the dark side of the Force. Driver has had a successful career since his time in "Star Wars," but there's no denying that it's arguably the biggest series of projects he's ever done. A high-budget film like that takes a lot of work to get done, and while it would be easy for him to take all the credit for his performance, he believes that the on-set dresser he worked with is the real unsung hero.
Driver says his dresser helped make the process easier
During an interview with Collider in 2019, Adam Driver was asked if there were any unsung heroes during the production of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" that made an impression on him behind the scenes. Driver wasted no time in crediting his on-set dresser, Amanda. He revealed that they worked together for six years throughout the making of the three sequel trilogy films, and they got into such a rhythm with each other that it made his life easier. Not only that, the way he was actually dressed during filming helped him explore the inner turmoil of Kylo Ren all the better.
"Amanda, my dresser," Driver said. "I'd been with her for six years, from the very beginning. And the costume, similar to the character, has evolved. It started off, and still — it was supposed to be ill-fitting, to, you know, manifest physically what was going on internally. Maybe he's uncomfortable. His helmet's not polished. And always at the end of all of these takes, I had my dresser Amanda who ... we had gotten things to a shortcut. We just knew each other so intimately."
Driver seems especially grateful toward Amanda for the work she did, but it also brings up a point of all the work that goes into crafting a film, especially one as monumental as a "Star Wars" movie. From special effects artists to production assistants who keep the flow of filming going strong. In a world where most of these people are absolutely the definition of unsung heroes, it's inspiring to see Driver set aside the time to talk about his dresser with such fondness.