Yahoo Movies The porg problem: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' cast sounds off on movie's polarizing space penguins
To porg or not to porg?
The cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi is not putting the full Force of their support behind the franchise’s adorable new creatures, the porgs. Specifically, it was John Boyega who boldly voiced his disapproval of the penguin-like aliens that have generally excited fans. “I just naturally don’t like them,” Boyega said bluntly during an appearance Friday on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “I’m not into it.”
Naturally, we needed to gauge where the rest of the cast stood on the matter over the weekend at the film’s Los Angeles press day (watch above). And Boyega, who plays stormtrooper-turned-Resistance fighter Finn, seems to have found some unlikely across-the-aisle support from Andy Serkis, who plays the Big Bad Snoke.
“They’re cute-slash-annoying,” Serkis proclaimed.
Boyega, meanwhile, elaborated on his disdain for the creatures, who were based on puffins the filmmakers spotted on the Irish Island of Skellig Michael and who have already been compared to the divisive Ewoks for their cuddly (too cuddly?) demeanor. “Imagine if you found five real porgs in your kitchen, what would you do? Eat them? “Exactly,” Boyega responded.
Oscar Isaac (Resistance fighter pilot Poe Dameron) got behind that notion. “I think they’re lower on the evolutionary ladder than Ewoks,” Isaac said. “You’re not going to eat an Ewok.”
On the other end of the spectrum from Boyega is series newcomer Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose Tico, a Resistance maintenance worker. “I was a porg for Halloween,” she said (you can see for yourself on Instagram). “I made my own porg costume. I’m serious, I am committed… And then I went to a Star Wars bar.”
Then there’s Daisy Ridley. The actress, who stars once again as the Force-wielding warrior Rey, just doesn’t understand all the hype. “I think are porgs are fine. Porgs are great. I genuinely don’t know why they’ve been made such a big deal of. Can you tell me?”
We had to point her to writer-director Rian Johnson, who has been beating the porg drum on Twitter with the introduction of porg-related hashtags and emoji.
“Porgs are the last Jedi,” Johnson deadpanned. “That’s the big twist.”
No wonder.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens Dec. 15.
Watch the cast react to watching Carrie Fisher’s “phenomenal” performance in The Last Jedi:
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