Adam Driver says 'Star Wars' character Kylo Ren isn't evil -- he's just confident he's right
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He might have callously killed his father, Han Solo, but like all well-written "bad guys," Kylo Ren is the hero of his own "Star Wars" story.
"He is someone who doesn't think of himself as evil, but thinks of himself as right," says Adam Driver, who reprises his role as the conflicted Ren in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
"There is something about thinking you're on a singular journey and then kind of having your faith questioned by something new."
"It's definitely more exciting to play because I don't think I know what pure evil is, nor does that seem to be something that sustains itself or is interesting to watch," Driver says. "Watching people who feel kind of morally justified to behave the way they do is, in a way, more unpredictable and dangerous because there's nothing that they won't do to accomplish their mission because they feel empowered in being right."
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Driver is more guarded than most about revealing anything about "The Last Jedi," which hits theaters Friday, or even discussing what Ren was thinking when he killed Han, or when he battled Rey (Daisy Ridley) at the end of the space saga's previous installment, "The Force Awakens."
"I don't think I can say what he saw (in Rey) but there is something familiar that he sees that hopefully he wrestles with in 'The Last Jedi,'" Driver says. "There is something about thinking you're on a singular journey and then kind of having your faith questioned by something new."
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The 34-year-old actor, previously best known for his role as Adam Sackler on HBO's "Girls," says his anonymity has mostly gone away since he joined the "Star Wars" galaxy -- but that's OK.
Seeing kids, or people bringing their kids or supplying their kids with lightsabers. I love that part.
"Sometimes going places just requires more planning. But the scale of those movies, because they're so multigenerational, or cross-generational, the amount of people who come up to you and recognize you is kind of unpredictable," he says. "But the kid part of it is for me the most fun: Seeing kids, or people bringing their kids or supplying their kids with lightsabers. I love that part. But they're usually confused, like, 'Why is Kylo Ren wearing a jogging suit?'"
The children who are especially taken with Ren give him slight pause, though.
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"I worry about them," Driver says with a laugh. "Especially if they're with their father."