Warning: This article contains spoilers aboutStar Wars: The Acolyteepisode 5.
It wasnt supposed to happen this way.
It was a stunning display of violence and a shocking end to the Jedi Knights life.
Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), and Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) on ‘The Acolyte’.Lucasfilm
But it turns out that rehearsals for the death scene were far less traumatizing… and even somewhat soothing.
He also broke down a lot of the characters backstory that helps explain those final moments.
So in the words of Barnett himself, let’s Yord it up y’all!
Charlie Barnett on ‘The Acolyte’.Lucasfilm Ltd
CHARLIE BARNETT:I walked in the day that we were filming it… No, I’m kidding!
Leslye was very up front from the very get-go.
And I tried to find the lemonade through the lemons.
Charlie Barnett and Amandla Stenberg on ‘The Acolyte’.Lucasfilm Ltd
I don’t want to see her die four times over.
It’s just visceral and f—ed up and sad.
No, I don’t need all that.
Charlie Barnett at Star Wars Celebration 2023: EW Portraits.Rachell Smith
Lucasfilm Ltd
What was it like filming your big death scene?
And in rehearsing it, weve got to move slow.
And I’m like, No, man.
You’re killing me.
It’s totally fine.
you could crack my neck however you’re f—ing going to crack it.
I’m going to be dead.
But it was actually really comforting and peaceful.
And then I am dead on the floor.
It was a nice death.
You have two big fight scenes with Manny.
Manny’s an incredible dancer.
Manny comes from a background of breakdancing and hip hop.
It’s a different kind of attack.
It’s all these weird little very minute protections that you then have to think of in your mind.
I don’t want to hit the number two on our call sheet because I might literally be fired.
You know what I mean?
As I’m wielding this pipe around that’s supposed to be a burning lightsaber!
You have to learn then how to act dance and be a safety monitor all at the same time.
But it was so much fun.
I wanted to have way more of it.
I honestly was upset that I couldn’t spend four more months doing more.
I actually started to be like, Okay, why isn’t Yord fighting so much?
He’s eager to pull that lightsaber out.
He’s gung-ho for it.
I wasn’t as attuned to using the Force as much.
Fighting became my safety mechanism.
That’s how I’m connected to it.
I need to focus more on my Force work and my Force connections.
So I’m trying to stop pulling out the lightsaber, stop fighting.
And that’s the story I created….
I mean, it’s all bulls—.
No, it’s not bulls— at all.
I think that’s fascinating.
It feeds my character.
It feeds the reasoning as to why I don’t have more fights and why I wanted them.
Let me ask you something: Why is everyone always making fun of Yord?
Jecki and Osha seem to always get a few laughs in at his expense.
He is not bothered by it.
Both of them have been actively trying to become knights.
And I’m kind of like, Yord it up y’all!
I don’t give no Yords about it.
I am a knight.
I have my own Padawan.
He’s not bothered.
Also, what Jedi would be affected by words?
I’m a Jedi.
This Padawan and this civilian can say what they like.
What do you ultimately make of Yords demise?
And all the responsibility of what you must live up to goes out the window.
And yes, sadly, he doesn’t survive and win off of that kind of energy.
I think it’s kind of the fault of not living in that place for more of his life.
He was too confined, and you see his demise from it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
