How the Cast of ‘The Acolyte’ Trained For the Series’ Intense Action Sequences
Episode 5 of The Acolyte ramped up the series’ action and gave the show’s cast a chance to finally flash their skills with a lightsaber.
While the latest Star Wars series has been somewhat divisive among fans, the show’s fight scenes have been universally praised. In fact, some have called The Acolyte‘s lightsaber battles the best since Revenge of the Sith.
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(L-R): The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) and Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
According to a report from Variety, to reach the level of skill displayed throughout the series thus far, the cast of The Acolyte had to undergo months of intensive training.
Under the tutelage of assistant fight coordinator Lu Jungchang and the rest of the fight team, The Acolyte‘s stars underwent lightsaber practice, movement work, hand-to-hand combat, and even force training.
![Master Indara The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Acolyte-Master-Indara-Star-Wars-5-1024x683.jpg)
![Master Indara The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Acolyte-Master-Indara-Star-Wars-5-1024x683.jpg)
Photo: Lucasfilm
“Some actors will say, ‘Get closer, I want more danger.’ [Lee Jung-jae] on set always said, ‘More danger, please,’” Junchang recalls. “I get worried because if we get too close it’s not safe but, he kept saying, ‘More, more, more,'” Jungchang revealed.
Training Like a Jedi
During production, Jedi training for The Acolyte took place three times a week in three-hour blocks. According to stunt coordinator Mark Hinther, the first month covered “just the basics.”
![The acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-the-Acolyte-1-1-1024x683.jpg)
![The acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-the-Acolyte-1-1-1024x683.jpg)
(Center to right): Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Master Lakshay (Paul Bullion) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
“Kicks and basic punches,” he says. “When we start doing fight choreography, or if we’re on set and we got to make a change, we’re going to need to know they have the basics.”
After passing fundamentals training, each cast member worked with a different trainer to learn their character’s specific movies. This practice also included sparring sessions, where actors covered themselves in pads for full-contact sessions with their instructors.
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Acolyte-4-1024x429.jpg)
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Acolyte-4-1024x429.jpg)
Photo: Lucasfilm
“We want them to feel the real pain [of the hits], so their muscles can get used to it,” Junchang says. “Once they feel the pain, they know, ‘Oh, this is real. If they kick me, I have to block, I have to move. Otherwise, I’m getting hurt.’”
Weilding a Lightsaber
When it was finally time for lightsaber training, the cast began by only using hilts to build up their wrist strength and practice basic movements. Eventually, the stunt team tried to give them carbon fiber tubes. When those were deemed too heavy, the team purchased prop lightsabers online.
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Acolyte-6-1024x683.jpg)
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Acolyte-6-1024x683.jpg)
Photo: Lucasfilm
“As soon as we got those in, all of our faces lit up. All of us are nerds,” Cowan says. “[The actors] were like, ‘Oh, yes, this is what we’re talking about.’”
After mastering the basics, each actor was again assigned an instructor. The actor would then react to their instructor’s movements with their saber in hand, simulating what they would do if they were fighting face to face. Eventually, as the actors improved, they would move closer to their instructor until the combat was real.
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/r57h7mw9ts6rtn8gfv6rh8q-1024x576.jpg)
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/r57h7mw9ts6rtn8gfv6rh8q-1024x576.jpg)
Photo: Lucasfilm
“We just let them stand there, and we swung the saber in front of their face, let them feel how close the weapon gets,” Junchang says. “And then we get closer, closer, closer — until they feel like, ‘If I’m not dogging this, I will get hit.’”
‘The Acolyte’ Stars Learned From the Process
While the training could be grueling, the cast of The Acolyte appreciated the thoroughness of the instruction. Dafne Keen, for example, told Variety that her conception of her character changed after going through lightsaber training.
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wwtkjs4tcstpt5xmnxzvkks-1024x576.jpg)
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wwtkjs4tcstpt5xmnxzvkks-1024x576.jpg)
Photo: Lucasfilm
“I approached [my character] from the physical side, from how she moved within a fight,” Keen says. “Is she a showy warrior? Using the Anakin example, he’s very arrogant in fights. It’s all about deflecting and showing off. Is she that kind of person or is she more pared down? We found a fun balance.”
According to Lee, series creator Leslye Headland was instrumental in bringing a “humanistic approach” to The Acolyte‘s action.
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Acolyte-5-1024x429.jpg)
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Acolyte-5-1024x429.jpg)
Photo: Lucasfilm
“I’ve done a lot of action in my past projects — but what was unique to this show was that Leslye really wanted the action to feel as realistic as possible,” he said.” “When I was utilizing the lightsaber, [it was] something that someone would actually be able to do. So I found that aspect really interesting.”
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Untitled-design-21-1024x536.png)
![The Acolyte](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Untitled-design-21-1024x536.png)
Photo: Star Wars
In the end, all of that hard work paid off.
The Acolyte is streaming now on Disney+.
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