The Big Picture

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff chats with
The Acolyte
stars Jodie Turner-Smith and Rebecca Henderson.
Turner-Smith teases Aniseya’s coven, and what defines the witches’ connection to the Force.
Henderson highlights Vernestra’s famous lightwhip, and discusses where she stands on the limits of the Jedi Order’s power.

We’ve seen witches in Star Wars before, like the Nightsisters, for example, who just made their live-action debut in Ahsoka. The Acolyte, however, is about to add a new coven to Star Wars canon, one led by Jodie Turner-Smith’s Aniseya.

Set in the High Republic Era, The Acolyte takes place before the events of the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. The Jedi are thriving as the peacekeepers of the galaxy, but sinister forces are looming, and they could rock the foundation of the Order, and who holds the power. As Aniseya herself says in The Acolyte’s trailer, “This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power, and who is allowed to use it.”

Another character who must come to terms with the great responsibility of holding and wielding power is Rebecca Henderson’s Vernestra Rwoh. Vernestra makes her live-action debut in The Acolyte as a Jedi Master and leader within the Jedi Order. As the situation unfolds in Acolyte, Vernestra is challenged to figure out not only how to keep the Order going, but how to keep the power it has in check.

While much is to be discovered about the policies of the Jedi Order toward the end of the High Republic Era and the goals of Aniseya’s coven in The Acolyte’s eight-episode run, both Henderson and Turner-Smith were able to tease a few details regarding their character’s roles in the assessment of what it means to hold power in the galaxy. Check out what they told me in the video at the top of this article, or you can read the conversation in transcript form below.

The Acolyte kicks off its run on Disney+ on June 4.

Jodie Turner-Smith Addresses the “Paralyzing Fear” of Joining ‘Star Wars’
Image via Disney

PERRI NEMIROFF: Jodie, I love witchy things, so I need to know everything about Aniseya’s coven. There’s mention that she thought Brendok would be a safe haven for her coven. Did you ever come up with any backstory in terms of why they landed there?

JODIE TURNER-SMITH: Oh, that’s a really good question. Because I am such a Star Wars novice and Leslye is such an expert, I really leaned on her for backstory information. Also because there is a little bit of a paralyzing fear coming into something like this where it matters so much to so many people, and you just don’t want to upset anyone who loves it. So I was like, “Here’s an expert! I’m just completely leaning on what you say to be the case.”

For what it’s worth, I think it’s important to respect that passion and enthusiasm, but it should never be a paralyzing fear. This franchise should always have a door open to every newcomer.

TURNER-SMITH: But I’m an actor, so everything is a paralyzing fear. [Laughs] Do you know what I mean? It’s like we are paralyzed with fear. But people don’t understand that. We spend most of our lives paralyzed with fear.

I don’t know if you’ll have an answer to this either, but in your mind, what’s the dream outcome for her coven? Is it to live there safely forever and ever, or does she have other ambitions?

TURNER-SMITH: Oh my god.

REBECCA HENDERSON: I feel like you’re not allowed to answer that.

TURNER-SMITH: I know. I would love to. Can we do this again …

HENDERSON: [Laughs] Come back in two months.

TURNER-SMITH: We need a junket after the show has been out so we can actually talk.

We can also save anything that you want to share now that we’re not allowed to share until an appropriate time. I’ll always have you covered. I never want to spoil anything for anyone.

TURNER-SMITH: Feels like a trick. Feels like a trick. I’m not gonna do that, but I’ll just say yes. I’m not going to expound, but I will say yes.

I will take that tease. That’s like a very informative tease, but it’s also appropriate and spoiler-free.

HENDERSON: I’m scared for my questions.

What It Means for Vernestra to Be Mirialan in ‘The Acolyte’
Image via Disney

10:58 Related Should We Trust ‘The Acolyte’s Qimir? Here’s Manny Jacinto’s Take Dafne Keen and Charlie Barnett also tease Jecki and Yord’s places in the Jedi Order.

This is a question that I love asking when characters exude such strength and confidence. What do you think Vernestra thinks her greatest strength is, but also, what do you think she fears her greatest weakness is?

HENDERSON: Oh my god. The first thing that I thought when you said that is that Mirialans believe that they have a destiny that they will fulfill, that they should fulfill, and that is supported by their community, the planet where they come from. I have the feeling for this show, I had the idea for Vernestra that what happens in this season is something that she always suspected would come and that she is fulfilling her destiny in this series, basically, which doesn’t totally answer your question. I mean, the light whip is very, very cool and powerful and awesome. But yeah, I think her greatest strength is probably her ability to be deeply thoughtful about things and to believe that she is making the right decisions and doing her best. It sounds kind of simple. And that is also, of course, going to be her weakness.

I can see that big time so far.

TURNER-SMITH: Same!

You brought up the light whip. In terms of the physicality of using a lightsaber, can you give us some subtle differences in terms of what you need to do to wield it in light whip mode versus standard blade mode.

HENDERSON: You do have to twist the hilt to turn it into the light whip, basically. At this point, I believe she can do that with the force. She no longer has to do it with her hands. And then you just have to be really careful because that thing flies around. It could take your head off. I think that’s why Jedi don’t really mess with the light whip that much because it is dangerous.

I trust her with it.

“There Is a Philosophy that Aniseya Believes In”

I’m curious about Aniseya’s relationship with the Force because she is a Force user but she is not Jedi or Sith. What do you think it means to her to have a connection with the Force that differentiates it from what they might feel?

TURNER-SMITH: You know, I think that — can I answer this one?

HENDERSON: I don’t know. I blacked out because I was worried about my own answer, so I didn’t even listen to this question.

TURNER-SMITH: There is a philosophy that Aniseya believes in, in regards to the Force and what it is and what it means and how these witches are connected to it. I don’t know how much I can really talk about that, but obviously it’s not some arbitrary thing. I feel like there’s a point in which we’re gonna be able to really get into the whole understanding and all of this information. I can’t tell you.

HENDERSON: These are high-level questions.

TURNER-SMITH: These are really high-level questions!

I get it! It’s my job to dig for more. And also, it’s a sign of a highly engaging show where I pick up on these nuances and details and want to know more about them.

TURNER-SMITH: The further that you get into the show, as well, you will find out a little bit more about what that means. But that question is not going to be answered in this season. I think you’ll have to keep coming back to kind of dig in.

Oh, that’s not a problem. I’ll keep coming back for more, always.

How Will Vernestra Keep the Jedi’s Power in Check?

I’ll end on a big one for you, Rebecca. One thing I read that Leslye said about your character is that as a leader, she’s trying to work out, “How do we keep this institution going? How do we check it? How do we negotiate the level of power that we have?” Does she think there should be limits on that power and if so, where does she draw the line?

HENDERSON: Does Vernestra think there should be limits? Yes, she does. And I think over the course of this season she is learning about where that line should be drawn. Reluctantly learning about it, especially as the Senate looms closer.

Looking for even more The Acolyte talk? Check out my conversation with Charlie Barnett, Dafne Keen and Manny Jacinto below:

The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.Release Date June 4, 2024 Main Genre Sci-Fi Studio Disney+

Watch on Disney+