Star Wars: The Acolyte Cinematographer Chris Teague Explains How He Prepared For The Franchise

We talked to Chris Teague about collaborating with Leslye Headland.

By Jamie Jirak

The fourth episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte, "Day," was released on Disney+ earlier this week and it was the third episode to feature the work of cinematographer Chris Teague. Teague served as the director of photography on set for the show's first two episodes in addition to the fourth and upcoming fifth episodes. Teague previously worked with The Acolyte's creator, Leslye Headland, on Netflix's Russian Doll. ComicBook had the chance to chat with Teague about The Acolyte, and he spoke about working with Headland and explained how he prepared for his behind-the-scenes role in the long-running franchise. 

"Leslye and I just really speak the same language in terms of filmmaking," Teague shared. "She's incredibly multi-talented. She's great with actors. She's an incredible writer and she has exceptional taste in cinema. And so we can just talk ad nauseam about film references or how the camera works, how to use the camera, what's the best way to tell a story with a camera."

"The idea of doing a Star Wars series was definitely daunting for me, but knowing that I was doing it with Leslye just really put me at ease," he added. "I definitely went back and looked at things closely," he said when asked about doing franchise research. "I even found some people who have found old prints of the original three films and scanned them in to try to get a sense of what it would've been like to be sitting in a theater in 1977 watching A New Hope."

"I love those films for how they feel a little kind of rough around the edges, I mean deliberately, and I like that aesthetic and I wanted to bring a little bit of that to the show," Teague explained." 

You can watch our interview with Chris Teague at the top of the page.

What Is The Acolyte About?

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(Photo:

Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

- Disney+)

Set during The High Republic, Star Wars: The Acolyte delivers an investigation into a mysterious string of crimes, which pits a Jedi master against his former apprentice in a race to uncover the truth. The more that the pair learn about the situation, the darker their journey becomes, as they confront things that darker than either of them could have imagined.

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The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Stay tuned for more from our interview with Chris Teague. The first four episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+ with the fifth episode scheduled to drop on Tuesday, June 25th. 

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