Chapter 902: Force Control

"How do I look in this outfit?"

On the set designed to look like a spaceship cabin, Charlize Theron walked up to Duke holding a massive helmet.

"I never expected to actually be part of Star Wars," she said.

Duke looked at Charlize Theron, giving her a careful once-over. The tall, slender South African beauty wore the iconic white armor of a Stormtrooper.

"Very nice," Duke said with deliberate admiration. "Having an Oscar-winning Best Actress serve as background scenery will drum up a lot of buzz for the film."

The current James Bond, Daniel Craig, had originally wanted to cameo as a Stormtrooper in this scene, but scheduling conflicts with Star Wars: The Force Awakens forced him to drop out at the last minute. Fortunately, there were more than enough star actors eager to make a cameo in Star Wars, such as Duke's new choice: Charlize Theron.

Even though she was just background scenery for the female lead, Daisy Ridley, and had to wear a Stormtrooper helmet that hid her face from start to finish, Charlize Theron still took the role seriously.

After sharing a few laughs with Duke, she returned to her mark for final touch-ups.

On the other side of the set, Daisy Ridley—who had already filmed a few scenes—was ready. Taking a deep breath, she sat down in a massive interrogation chair in the middle of the cabin under Anna Printz's direction. A prop master immediately came over to tie her to it, fitting her role as a prisoner in this scene.

Once the two IMAX cameras—custom-named "Death Star" and "Millennium Falcon"—were set up in a forty-five-degree cross-angle, Duke gave the clapper loader the command to begin.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Scene Eleven, Take Four..." The clapper loader held the slate in front of the main camera and shouted, "Action!"

Duke pulled his gaze away from Charlize Theron and Daisy Ridley on set and looked down at the director's monitor. Except for a few rare special scenes, a director usually didn't watch the live action directly. The frame captured by the camera, combined with props, lighting, and other auxiliary elements, often differed significantly from what the human eye saw.

Many times, a scene that looked brilliant in person would reveal numerous flaws once filtered through the lens.

The soundstage fell dead silent. Only the humming of the massive IMAX cameras could be heard as the boom mic, operated by the sound crew, slowly lowered just above Daisy Ridley's head.

Most dialogue shot on IMAX cameras required ADR during post-production, but the actors couldn't relax during filming; they still had to have all their lines perfectly memorized.

To push Daisy Ridley, who was a relative newcomer, Duke insisted on recording live audio during every take. This allowed the actress to hear her own shortcomings and reach her peak condition as quickly as possible.

After a few scenes of adjustment, Daisy Ridley was clearly in good form.

She lay back in the broad interrogation chair, her eyes darting around. She seemed to be searching for an opportunity to escape. Finally, her gaze landed on her sole guard—the Stormtrooper played by Charlize Theron.

Looking sidelong at Charlize Theron's Stormtrooper, Daisy Ridley closed her eyes slightly, as if sensing some inexplicable presence.

"You will walk over," she said slowly. "Put down your gun, unlock my handcuffs, open the cabin door, and then leave."

Charlize Theron didn't move, but she turned her head to look at Daisy Ridley in confusion.

Yes, Charlize Theron was wearing a Stormtrooper helmet that entirely obscured her facial expressions, but the sheer power of an A-list Hollywood actress was still on full display. Whether through the camera lens or to the naked eye, anyone could clearly sense this Stormtrooper's current confusion and bewilderment.

It had to be said—Charlize Theron was so formidable that even as a background Stormtrooper, she ended up stealing the scene.

People always said great actors should be able to dial their performances up or down at will, but Duke knew better. Just like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, someone like Charlize Theron—who was so used to being the female lead and the absolute center of attention on set—would inevitably bring an undeniable "I am the main character" aura to her performance.

When actors of Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Charlize Theron's caliber appeared on screen, even as the most inconspicuous background extras, they would subconsciously draw the audience's eyes without saying a word or showing a single expression.

Why were superstars superstars? Their rarity wasn't just a product of media hype; it was backed by exceptional talent.

Even though Charlize Theron was threatening to steal the scene, Duke didn't call cut. He simply waited, patiently observing Daisy Ridley's performance.

Duke knew that a slight reminder was all it would take for Charlize Theron to dial it back. The issue was easily resolved.

However, a newcomer like Daisy Ridley needed plenty of practical experience, and acting opposite an Oscar winner and Hollywood superstar would certainly help her grow.

In truth, Duke was using Charlize Theron as a whetstone to sharpen Daisy Ridley.

Playing the female lead in Star Wars required far more than just being eye candy, and Daisy Ridley wasn't stunningly beautiful to begin with. If she wanted to leave a deep impression in the shadow of the franchise's previous heroines, Princess Leia and Padme Amidala, she had to put in an immense amount of effort.

She would inevitably be compared by the media and the audience to Padme Amidala, who was the biggest highlight of the relatively recent Star Wars Prequel trilogy.

Countless thoughts flashed through Duke's mind in an instant, but filming on set continued.

Seeing that Charlize Theron's Stormtrooper remained unmoved, Daisy Ridley didn't give up. Seeming to summon all the energy in her body, her voice trembled slightly, and she subconsciously gritted her teeth.

"You will walk over, put down your gun, unlock my handcuffs, open the cabin door, and then leave."

Daisy Ridley's face was taut, the words squeezing through her teeth. She was clearly trying a bit too hard, but Duke still didn't yell cut. He let her keep acting out her scene and delivering her few lines.

"You will walk over, put down your gun, unlock my handcuffs, open the cabin door, and then leave."

That omnipresent and omnipotent Force finally took effect. Charlize Theron's Stormtrooper walked over, unlocked Daisy Ridley's cuffs, and pressed a button to the side. Once the cabin door rose, the guard walked out without looking back.

"Cut!" Duke shouted, halting the crew. He stood up, grabbed a megaphone, and said, "Camera and lighting look good. We'll take a fifteen-minute break and then shoot another take."

With that, he quickly strode onto the set. Daisy Ridley left the interrogation chair and stood in front of him.

Duke gave Daisy Ridley a nod, then looked at Charlize Theron, who had just taken off her helmet.

"Sally, you were stealing the scene just now," he said. "Watch your control."

Charlize Theron smiled faintly.

"Got it," she said.

Duke wasn't worried about Charlize; a single reminder was all she needed to know exactly what to do on the next take.

"Daisy..."

Turning slightly, Duke looked at Daisy Ridley, who wore a thoughtful expression.

"You were too tense just now," he said. "You pushed a little too hard."

"Mhm..." Daisy Ridley nodded hurriedly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Still not entirely reassured, Duke offered some extra direction. "Because of her past experiences, your character, Rey, is highly resistant to The Force and the Jedi Knights. Now that she's trapped, she has to save herself by tapping into The Force she buried deep inside. This is her first time using Force Control, so you need to capture her mental state perfectly."

"I will," Daisy Ridley promised.

After advising Daisy Ridley, Duke went to find John Schwartzman. Given the incident with the previous still photographer and their secretive promotional strategy, Duke was paying close attention to the promotional materials shot on set. He specifically checked the stills that had just been taken. Since the performance itself had been mediocre, the photographer's shots weren't anything special either.

Furthermore, the stills focused entirely too much on the female lead, Daisy Ridley, almost completely ignoring Charlize Theron's Stormtrooper.

Duke called over the camera assistant in charge of shooting the stills.

"The best actors exist solely as their characters in a film, and the best still photography produces pictures that belong exclusively to that film," Duke told him. "A great still accurately conveys the core atmosphere and content of the movie. It is the perfect visual interpretation of the film."

While this camera assistant wasn't as professional as the one Duke had fired, his biggest advantage was his obedience. He shot exactly what Duke told him to shoot and nothing more.

Therefore, Duke gave him explicit instructions. "In all the stills, the actors must be acting. Their expressions and movements can't be too stiff or lifeless. The stills must highlight the story's conflicts, the characters' personalities, and the plot. We need photos of the key scenes and major clashes. We need stills of the key props, including close-ups."

Finally, Duke pointed at Charlize Theron and Daisy Ridley, who were getting back into position. "We must have cutaways and wide shots of this scene. The photos have to capture the relationship between the two actors. We need their interaction."

Put simply, the stills had to be "in character." The actors' performances in the still photos needed to look identical to what the cinematographer and camera operators were capturing through the lens.

This was sometimes incredibly difficult because, during production, the primary goal was keeping the shoot on schedule. The director and the film crew rarely prioritized the still photographer's job. In fact, a still photographer was often seen as an "interference" on set and had to squeeze in their shots between takes. But for a crucial scene like this, if they didn't get good stills, Duke would have the actors perform it all over again, directing a take solely for the photographer's benefit!