Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been met with its fair share of backlash since it opened in December. However, one of the more popular complaints has to do with Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico. After playing a major role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017, Tran’s screen time in the sequel trilogy capper was shaved down to about 76 seconds. This didn’t sit well with fans who enjoyed her performance in the last installment. But fortunately, Tran herself doesn’t seem all that bothered by it.
While speaking with MTV News, Tran shared her feelings about Rose’s smaller role in The Rise of Skywalker. You can hear what she had to say below.
On the #Oscars red carpet, @joshuahorowitz caught up with ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ star Kelly Marie Tran about fans’ reactions to her role in the film pic.twitter.com/dDlHc7bLUz
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) February 10, 2020
“I think that I’m really just amazed at the way that J.J. [Abrams] was able to sort of wrap up all these incredible stories,” said Tran. “There were so many characters, you know? And at the end of the day, I got to be part of something bigger than me and that’s really special.”
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After The Last Jedi hit theaters, Tran memorably found herself in the crosshairs of an online harassment campaign. Some of these attacks made disparaging remarks about her Asian heritage, which eventually resulted in Tran leaving social media. A few critics have argued that Rose’s limited scenes in The Rise of Skywalker could be considered a win for this movement. But when it comes to legitimate criticisms, Tran recognizes that you can’t always please everyone.
“Last Jedi was my first movie, you know?” Tran said. “So I think I’m finally starting to realize that when you’re in something of that caliber, there’s so many people working to make something out of love. And no matter what you do, there’s always going to be people that aren’t happy with that. But I think that the best lesson I’ve learned is just to have fun and be present in the moment, So I’m really grateful that I got to be a part of it.”
Should the filmmakers have given Rose Tico a bigger role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Let us know in the comment section below!
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