Rogue One’s Riz Ahmed Shares His First Star Wars Memory

Getting the opportunity to appear in a Star Wars film is an honor for any actor, but for the cast […]

September 5, 2017, 6:38pm

Getting the opportunity to appear in a Star Wars film is an honor for any actor, but for the cast who had been life-long fans of the franchise, it felt like a dream come true. Rogue One‘s Riz Ahmed is one of the actors, having a history with the saga dating back to his childhood years. In a new video, Ahmed vividly recalls his first experience with the galaxy far, far away.

Videos by ComicBook.com

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The actor explained that his first foray into the Force was watching The Empire Strikes Back with his older brother and having his “mind blown.”

“I’d never seen anything like it. Soon afterwards, me and my brother would start acting out our own pretend films. We didn’t have a camera or anything, we were just running around making lightsaber noises,” the actor revealed.

Getting to play Bodhi in the film wasn’t an easy gig, as Ahmed detailed one of his first days on set, which was also one of the toughest.

“One of the first days of filming I had was running around this desert island in knee-high sand, with a 70kg backpack, which was super heavy,” admitted the actor. “Just running around, having to crouch down, get up, and run, run, run. It was crazy. It was so tiring. It was the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done.”

What helped make playing Bodhi easier was the similarities Ahmed found between the character and himself.

“I think some parallels between Bodhi and myself are we can both be quite excitable. We both aren’t necessarily that at-home in a war, war zone, conflict situation. Neither of us have had military training, so to speak,” explained Ahmed. “If I’m honest, I think Bodhi is braver than I am.”

More than just an acting gig, Ahmed hopes audiences connect with the film in similar ways to how he connected with the films initially.

“I hope that audiences have an amazing time watching this film. I hope it excites them, thrills them, maybe even scares them a little bit,” Ahmed confessed. “I think the message is one that’s really positive. It’s about people from all different backgrounds coming together, to fight for something that’s bigger than themselves and stand up for what’s right.”

What was your first Star Wars memory? Let us know in the comments!

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[H/T YouTube, Disney]