Best known internationally as Seong Gi-hun in Netflix\u2019s<\/a> smash hit Squid Game<\/a>, the star has now taken his talents to a galaxy far, far away for The Acolyte, the newest Star Wars<\/a> offering from Russian Doll writer Leslye Headland.<\/p>\n Whisking us back earlier than we\u2019ve ever been in the Star Wars timeline, The Acolyte follows a former Jedi Padawan (The Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg<\/a>) who reunites with her former Master (Lee) to investigate a series of crimes. But they soon find out they\u2019re dealing with much more sinister forces than they ever could have imagined.<\/p>\n For Lee, who grew up watching Star Wars, landing a role as a Jedi Master was beyond his wildest dreams \u2013 so when the news came of his casting, the challenge was on to do as much research as humanly possible.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like there are no little boys from that time period that didn\u2019t play with the Star Wars figurines. I was definitely one of them,\u201d he tells RadioTimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI really couldn\u2019t believe it when I found out that I would be Master Sol. Because it is so meaningful to become a character in this vast Star Wars universe, and also within Star Wars history.<\/p>\n \u201cI went and did a lot of research and studied all these Jedi of the past in order to build my character of Master Sol. So that was kind of my first homework, was going and looking at all these past performances.\u201d<\/p>\n He jokes: \u201cThe biggest preparation I had to do for Master Sol might have been hypnotising myself, telling myself, \u2018I am a Jedi Master. I am a Jedi Master.’\u201d<\/p>\n Many of the cast actually went to \u201cJedi school\u201d to prepare for the daunting business of entering the world of Star Wars. But for Lee, it was barely necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it was a really great opportunity to be able to act in this new timeline,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cAnd there\u2019s actually an expert at LucasFilm that came to explain Star Wars history.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat he\u2019s told us was that because this is a completely different and earlier timeline, we could use our own original ideas and interpreting character and for our performances, and of course, be able to express what we wanted to express.<\/p>\n \u201cBut out of respect for the Star Wars universe, and also just the feeling that I got from watching those earlier movies, I wanted to make a connection between my character and Jedi Masters of the past.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I would say it\u2019s about 50\/50, one showing that originality because of the alternate timeline, but also paying homage to the great actors who had acted as Jedi Masters and making sure that my character was cohesive within the branch of this Star Wars universe.\u201d<\/p>\n By now, it\u2019s widely known that Stenberg actually plays two characters<\/a> \u2013 sisters Osha and Mae, who are separated by a tragic event at a young age, and who both have a relationship with Sol.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Master Sol really cares for both Osha and Mae,\u201d Lee explains \u201cAnd he feels a lot of guilt over the situations that happened in the past that led to what\u2019s happening in the present.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of this guilt, he is going through a lot of inner turmoil. Because of the multi-layered nature of this conflict, I think it was really fun and interesting for me to act alongside Amandla and to express these situations.\u201d<\/p>\n In contrast to Amandla\u2019s fiery characters, Lee\u2019s Master Sol is calm, collected and incredibly protective, something he worked on closely with showrunner Headland.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the moment Leslye explained this role to me, I had a lot of trust in her because I had already seen her previous work on Russian Doll, and how sensitive she directed the show, and what a fresh take she had,\u201d he reflects.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I knew that when she was directing The Acolyte that she would bring her unique voice into the show, and we had a lot of conversations about the philosophy of Master Sol, as well as his warm heart and how that affects the relationship that he\u2019s going to build.<\/p>\n \u201cSo because this character was so well formed by Leslye already, I was just so happy to be able to fill his shoes and to be acting as Master Sol.\u201d<\/p> He adds: \u201cI think Master Sol is a character that constantly tries to right the wrongs. So he is able to go through a lot of sacrifice in order to do this. And I think this encompasses his character very well.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s also Lee\u2019s first ever English-speaking role \u2013 although you would never know it when watching.<\/p>\n \u201cLearning English was definitely a huge challenge in preparing for this role,\u201d he admits. \u201cHowever, I had two incredible dialogue coaches that were helping me along the way, and we spent so much time together, and down to the small details they were really teaching me how to speak \u2013 and because they had such great personalities as well, we were always joking around and laughing on set, so it still remains a really great memory for me.\u201d<\/p>\n While the series is only just beginning, there\u2019s already been talk about a potential season 2 \u2013 something Lee has also hinted at. When asked how fans will feel as the credits roll on the final episode, he smiles and teases: \u201cI think they\u2019ll want to see a season 2.\u201d<\/p>\n [squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=\u201d608\u2033 \/]<\/p>\n While that\u2019s yet to be confirmed, there\u2019s no such uncertainty about season 2 of Squid Game, which has been filmed and is coming to Netflix this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Teasing what we\u2019ve got ahead in the brutal drama, Lee says: \u201cI think the script for season 2 is even more interesting than season 1, and there is going to be a new set of characters as well. So I think the audience is going to be really excited about it.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I felt while reading the script is that there is an even deeper emotion that\u2019s discovered within season 2, and also I think the audience will feel like, \u2018Where is this story going?\u2019 Because there\u2019s so many twists and turns that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say that Lee has already had an illustrious career. But it seems his future could be even more exciting.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not ruling out more English roles, saying: \u201cI think I would have fun with the role if another opportunity arose.\u201d<\/p>\n As for any other projects he hasn\u2019t had the chance to do yet? He doesn\u2019t even dare to dream: \u201cBecause even playing a Jedi Master was something I couldn\u2019t even really dream of, not necessarily something that I was prepared to do.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think the roles that come to me, it\u2019s a little bit like destiny, and rather than kind of expect or anticipate a role in the future, I am ready to take on anything exciting that comes and I\u2019m open to every category.\u201d<\/p>\n Star Wars: The Acolyte will launch on Disney Plus on Tuesday 4th June.\u00a0<\/strong>You can\u00a0sign up to Disney Plus for \u00a37.99 a month or \u00a379.90 a year<\/a>\u00a0now.<\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of our\u00a0Sci-Fi<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>\u00a0to find out what\u2019s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n Jedi Master Sol has some “inner turmoil” to contend with. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":52671,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/lee-jung-jae-on-learning-english-for-the-acolyte-becoming-a-jedi-master-and-squid-game-season-2.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Jedi Master Sol has some \"inner turmoil\" to contend with.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/52670"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Lee](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/PDX-021084R-6b7be1d.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Lee")
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