Neal Scanlan Discusses That Porg Scene in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

After months of anticipation, audiences finally got to see Porgs in action during Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And as it turns out, a lot of effort went into crafting one memorable – and arguably upsetting – scene involving the adorable birds.

In a recent interview with Collider, The Last Jedi creature designer Neal Scanlan discussed bringing the “Porg-roasting” scene to life within the film. Considering the response to the creatures before the film, as well as the fact that Chewbacca was the one doing the roasting, Scanlan said there was a lot of discussion that went into that scene.

“There were endless discussions.” Scanlan revealed. “It’s a very difficult scene. It was so important for [director] Rian [Johnson] to get that connection, as quickly as possible, but there was also a certain element of not making it too graphic. One of the reasons we did the Porgs primarily practical is because we wanted to engage and step into that world of puppetry and theater. For that little vignette moment, we were tapping into the children in everybody, really. We felt that the idea was to have something that looked a little bit comic like and Looney Tunes was the way to go. We got it without having to be too gratuitous.”

As the film unfolds, Chewie grows to be more tolerant of the Porgs, even as they occasionally get in his way on the Millennium Falcon. According to Scanlan, that dynamic manifested in some pretty creative ways, including the design of one particular Porg.

“We were very aware that Rian wanted a moment to show that there could be friendship amongst other species.” Scanlan explained. “So, one of the Porgs was designed specifically to have Wookie qualities about it, the way that its feathered were colored and with the shape of the skull. When they first meet, they see themselves in each other. The idea is that this comraderie and friendship is because they see qualities in each other, which is a lovely thing to think of.”

“Chewie has such a great character.” Scanlan continued. “He has off-the-cuff reactions to so many things, and this is the first time we’ve pushed a few buttons in the Chewie emotional scope. This little Porg has managed to do something no one else has ever done, and bring out a quality in Chewie that we’ve never seen before.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters now.