Star Wars Episode VII's Adam Driver: Working on the Franchise is "Surreal," He Hasn't Seen George Lucas

star Adam Driver, set to appear in Star Wars Episode VII, spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the experience, becoming one of the only officially-sanctioned voices in this weekend chock full of Star Wars news.

"Doing Star Wars now—that's surreal," Driver said. "I feel like that even with this cast. You start by try[ing] to stamp [that feeling] down as much as possible, just focus on what it is that you are there to do… Easier said than done."

He spoke with a great deal of affection for the previous films, saying that he loved not just the movies but the world they inhabit and the potential it offers.

"The thing about Star Wars that's so good—sure there's this huge [canvas]," Driver said. "It's space, it's a long time ago in a galaxy far away. That's set up immediately. But in the midst of all those things, what has made those movies last so long is that they're all grounded, which is something that is not so far off from every movie with huge universal themes of siblings and parents and betrayal and trust. That's so generic and obvious, but it's hard to balance those things. When you break all of those things down, really it's just because someone wasn't loved enough or felt betrayed. That's what makes those movies so universal. I think they can get in your mind in big and sweeping ways."

Andwhile they're all working to keep it true to the originals, he said, he has no idea whether George Lucas is physically on set or not -- at a minimum, the actor hasn't seen him.

Star Wars Episode VII hits theaters on December 18, 2015. Driver's role is still undisclosed.