Actress Kelly Marie Tran, who hasn't reacted to the row around her reduced role in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker", said that it was challenging to shoot Princess Leia Organas scenes with pre-existing footage of the late star Carrie Fisher. In the film, Tran is seen as Resistance member Rose Tico.
There's a segment of fans who came forward on the social media to express their disappointment about Tran getting less screen time. When asked if Leia scenes were given a lot more time and attention, the actress said: "Yeah, the one thing that was difficult was that you were acting with footage that was pre-recorded."
"So, instead of having an actor there and reacting off the actor, you would sometimes look -- in between takes -- at how the actor delivered a line and then try to imagine and react to that. So, it definitely took more time and was a very different experience for me. We probably did a lot more takes for scenes with her than without her," Tran told hollywoodreporter.com.
"It's one thing to sit there, look at that footage and try to react to it, but a lot of the big group scenes felt like they were puzzle pieces if that makes sense. We were trying to use specific moments that they already had, so it definitely took more time. I think there were more reshoots on those scenes, specifically, to just try and make sure all of the performances matched up since she wasn't physically there," she added.
Tran also opened up about some cut footage of Rose during the concluding battle on the planet of Exegol in the movie.
"It was insane to be running across this platform -- which I know you only see for a second in the movie -- but we shot it so many times. I remember having bruises on my knees the next day because we kept running, and then we would fall onto our knees and do some more shooting stuff. I don't think that's in the movie," Tran added.
With Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac leading the cast, "Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker" wraps up the Skywalker saga that George Lucas started with "Star Wars: A New Hope" in 1977. The film opened in India on December 20 last year.
