(LOS ANGELES) — Forest Whitaker dished on his role as the battle-hardened warrior Saw Gerrera [guh RAIR rah] in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in an interview with Good Morning America that aired today.
“He lives a little bit more in the gray; he’s been in so, so many, battles and so many conflicts, but the spirit is still alive in him,” Whitaker said of his character.
Whitaker also talked about Gerrera’s very special relationship with the film’s heroine, Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones.
“I took her as a child, a young child, and so I raised her for a long period of time,” Whitaker said of his character “She finds what she believes, and what she believes is right, and she’s willing to fight, even die for it if she must.”
He added, “In the end, it’s always about freedom, it’s about hope for freedom, and hope for the possibility of a good life.”
Whitaker said that if he had to pick one Star Wars character to play, he would still pick his own.
The long-anticipated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters nationwide on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. “It’s a great film, I think people are going to love it,” Whitaker said.
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