On the face of it Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a rousing success. Not only did it gross over $1.297 billion at the box office, but it currently has a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, some viewers, particularly “Star Wars” die-hards, took umbrage with Johnson’s work in the beloved universe, with his treatment of Princess Leia, Emperor Snoke, and even Luke Skywalker coming in for criticism.
On Tuesday I had the opportunity to talk to Domhnall Gleeson, who played the villainous General Hux in both “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi,” a role he’ll reprise in “Star Wars 9,” over the phone about his turn in the Sundance comedy “A Futile And Stupid Gesture.”
Towards the end of our chat, though, I turned the conversation to the galaxy far, far away, specifically asking the 34-year-old actor what he thought about the divisive reaction to “The Last Jedi.”
“I think everybody is entitled to their own reaction. And that’s just part of life. If you don’t like a movie you are free to not like a movie. You have paid your $10, and that gives you the right to say what they want about it.”
“It just so happens that I love the movie. I think Rian did a fantastic job. So that’s how I feel about it, but if other people didn’t like it then I get it. That’s your opinion and that’s fine.”
I then asked the infinitely charming Irishman about the upcoming ninth installment to the “Star Wars” Skywalker saga, specifically whether he has had any chance to talk to the returning J.J. Abrams about the upcoming blockbuster.
“I’ve said hello to him. And he sent me an email saying hello, and all the rest of it. But I am sure he is busy putting it all together. When the time is right I am hoping I will get to talk about it. But we are obviously all in very safe hands with J.J, he’s a phenomenal filmmaker, and I can’t wait to get started again.”
With principle photography scheduled to start in June, 2018, and the film itself not due out until December 20, 2019, there’s plenty of time to fill before “Star Wars 9” is actually released, though.
So, in the meantime, why not watch “A Futile And Stupid Gesture” on Netflix, which is released on January 26.
