A Force For Good

THERE’S A POWERFUL NEW STAR IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

- Alexandra English

IF YOU TELL Naomi Ackie a secret, she’ll take it to her grave. The 27-year-old British actor is slated to appear in two of the most fan-crazed franchises – Star Wars and the Game Of Thrones prequel – and she hasn’t let one detail slip, not even to her dad. “It’s crazy, I’m keeping secrets from everyone,” she says down the line from London. “It’s challenging at times, but it’s not too hard when I think about the fan base. I also don’t want my dad’s experience ruined by me blabbing about it in the kitchen. Star Wars is a bit more of an epic story than that!”

Epic is right. The new Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker not only rounds out the “sequel” trilogy that started with The Force Awakens in 2015, but it’s also the final instalment in the main franchise, which has culminated in a total of nine episodes over four decades. Each has smashed the box office on its release, and with the franchise raking in $13.8 billion in total, it’s the highest-grossing sci-fi series in history. Directed and co-written by JJ Abrams, the latest and final film also stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Hamill (of course) and Oscar I