Adam Driver has revealed more about the original arc set for Kylo Ren – and, as it turns out, his big redemption in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was never the plan.
"I had an overall arc in mind that [JJ Abrams] wanted to do, which then changed, but his idea was almost the opposite journey of Vader," Driver told The Rich Eisen Show. "Where Vader starts the most confident, the most committed to the dark side, and by the last movie he's the most vulnerable and weak. And he wanted to start it the opposite, where this character was the most confused and vulnerable, and by the end of the three movies, would be most committed to the dark side. So I tried to keep that arc in mind, regardless if that wound up not being the journey anyway, because it changed, obviously."
As for when that plan changed, Driver explained that The Last Jedi altered the trajectory of his character's arc, then The Rise of Skywalker cemented that twist by shifting focus to the bond between Kylo Ren and Rey. "With Rian [Johnson, director], he took it into a different direction," Driver revealed. "But [it] still tracked with the character. Then the last one, it changed into being about them, and the dyad, and things like that. And evolving into Ben Solo, that was never part of it. He was Ben Solo from the beginning, but it was never a version where we actually see Ben Solo when I first signed up for it."
The redemption of Kylo Ren ended up being one of the most moving parts of the sequel trilogy – we dare you not to shed a tear when Ben sees his father Han Solo again on the wreckage of the Death Star – so we're glad the plan shifted. Though, we have to admit, a fully dark side Kylo Ren also would've been very cool.
