‘The Acolyte’ Star Lee Jung-jae Reveals the Jedi That Inspired His Performance

The latest chapter in Star Wars history was written last night when The Acolyte premiered on Disney+.

Set roughly 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, the series introduced audiences to the era of the High Republic, a time when the Jedi were at the height of their power.

Photo: Disney

Through the first two episodes of the series, Lee Jun-jae’s Jedi Master Sol took center stage, impressing fans with his wisdom and power in the Force.

Taking Inspiration From Qui-Gon Jinn

During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lee discussed his mindset when playing the Jedi Master and revealed the Star Wars character that he took inspiration from.

Photo: Disney

“I definitely was inspired by a lot of the past Jedi Masters and the wonderful actors that played them. And one of my favorite characters was Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson. I really kind of tried to find the connective tissue between him and my character, Master Sol.”

Photo: Lucasfilm

Lee rose to fame as the main protagonist in the Netflix drama Squid Games. The Acolyte marks both his American television debut and first English-speaking role.

Portraying a Jedi With Real Emotion

While the Jedi are often characterized by their stoicism, Lee said that the more he explored his character, the more “humanistic elements” he saw.

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

“He is a Jedi master, but the more I saw the script, I realized that there were more of these humanistic elements to him,” Lee said. “His emotions are constantly in flux. And also, when he’s in battle, he actually does feel that element of fear. And I think because of that, really created a Sol that was extremely humanistic. And she did that with the other characters as well — they all embody such a diversity of emotions, just like regular people. And in each character, you see those elements really clearly.”

So far, fan reaction to Lee’s character has been overwhelmingly positive. It looks like the actor has struck the right chord.

Photo: Lucasfilm

The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+.

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