Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy‘s Cast on Heroes, Villains, and Favorite Collectibles

On the heels of yesterday’s interview with Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy writers Dan Hernadenz and Benji Samit (Pokémon Detective Pikachu), contiguous we person the stars of the upcoming Disney+ four-part miniseries: Bobby Moynihan, Gaten Matarazzo, Tony Revolori, and Marsai Martin.

We archetypal spoke to Moynihan astir his show arsenic Jedi Bob, a temple defender who holds vigil implicit the “Cornerstone,” a transparent, single-stud Lego portion with the powerfulness to reshape the universe. Naturally, this led to further treatment astir the 1990 Dick Tracy film’s enactment fig enactment and G.I. pirate vigor from the Vietnam War. 

Gordon Jackson, io9: You play Jedi Bob successful this. Are you acquainted with the past of the character, and however helium archetypal appeared successful a 2002 Lego set? His communicative is yet being told now! 

Bobby Moynihan: Really, the prophecy has been fulfilled. Yeah, no, I person that Lego set. I had a Jedi Bob earlier I got cast, and past I knew each astir it, yeah.

io9: Oh wow, okay. What’s your past with him?

Moynihan: It’s a set of weird collecting.

io9: What are immoderate of the weird things you similar to collect?

Moynihan: Oh, however overmuch clip bash we have? … My full bureau is filled with—I ne'er propulsion thing away—and I similar to cod weird worldly similar that.

io9: What’s your astir obscure possession?

Moynihan: In the enactment fig satellite similar Jedi Bob, there’s figures similar the Blank from Dick Tracy, oregon a mates similar “grail” figures that radical cod successful that satellite and I’ve ever been fascinated by that. I person a mates of them.

io9: Oh cool, the Blank—you mean Madonna without the face?

Moynihan: Yeah, determination was the Madonna one, but past they made one, the Blank, that was conscionable the blank look that they lone made successful Canada. Stuff similar that. I similar weird. I similar seeking retired things that are hard to find.

io9: So you person a large past with Lego and Star Wars to statesman with?

Moynihan: Yeah, I mean I got fortunate enough, I was a large Star Wars fan. I’ve gotten to beryllium successful a mates Star Wars projects and past I got a telephone telephone saying, “Would you similar to travel down to Lucasfilm, down to the the ranch and transportation a mates of jokes? We’re penning a Lego Christmas special, Star Wars Christmas special.” I got to spell enactment connected that and constitute immoderate jokes. And past I met Dan and Benji done that. They were writers connected that also, and we deed it disconnected and past they called maine for this. And I can’t judge I’m present doing it.

io9:  And you play the mentor quality successful this.

Moynihan: Yeah, benignant of the Obi-Wan Kenobi of this series, if you will, but he’s a little—has a small little gravitas. It’s like, Kenobi arsenic a substitute teacher, if you will.

io9: Were you excited for that role? Like, “I’m yet playing the mentor quality alternatively of the…”

Moynihan: Instead of similar the abdominous friend, similar I usually get? Well, I was reasoning astir it. I ever get the silly guy. I ne'er get the like, “You person to beryllium mindful.” I’m playing that guy. I deliberation for maine this was similar a small spot of, like, what if Alec Guinness and Liam Neeson were a small bushed of being Jedi—that benignant of aged royalty Britishness to it, but past besides being benignant of like, “Okay, let’s conscionable get done this.” I similar the premix of those two. He’s not the champion Jedi and helium knows it. So yeah, helium guards the temple, the Cornerstone. He doesn’t privation anyone to remake the universe, which is made of Lego.

io9:  Do you consciousness similar there’s a small spot of similar a contradiction successful the “play with Lego, but don’t play God” connection the communicative conveys?

Moynihan: Well, I deliberation that’s the full point: wherefore is helium doing that? Where does that travel from? Someone who is trying to propulsion that, but besides whitethorn person the trauma of not wanting to go. It’s like, if you person the powerfulness to alteration everything, bash you bash it? It’s not conscionable a silly Lego cartoon.

io9: There is simply a heaviness.

Moynihan: He’s a very, very, precise conflicted man.

io9: Yeah, I’ve noticed that successful a batch of these movies based connected Lego oregon gathering blocks, successful bid to dramatize it. “What are the morals of playing with thing extracurricular of yourself?”

Moynihan: Of taking idiosyncratic isolated and putting them backmost together. Yes. Or taking apart—I’m reasoning of the country wherever they’re trying to get distant and helium puts wings and past legs connected the ship. That’s someone’s property. Technically, he’s damaging different people’s spot by building. So yeah, it’s hard being a Jedi man. It’s a grey area.

io9: Getting backmost into immoderate of the different fandoms you’re into—

Moynihan: Fandom? I’m conscionable a instrumentality of each that benignant of stuff. Anything like… arsenic a kid, it was underground kinds of things, thing that felt like, “I got this from idiosyncratic and I wasn’t expected to.” We utilized to walk VHS tapes oregon Jerky Boys tapes and worldly similar that. I’m overmuch older than you, I’m guessing. Do you cognize who the Jerky Boys [are]?

io9: Oh, no—the prank callers, right?

Moynihan: Yeah.

io9: So if you were into portion trading, you ever travel crossed immoderate truly bizarre oregon grotesque successful that field?

Bobby Moynihan: Not similar grotesque, uh… astir apt the opposite. Just similar weird drama stuff. Now I’m remembering determination was a guy, Dave Rabbit oregon thing similar that. I recovered these tapes, it was a feline that had a pirate vigor presumption during Vietnam erstwhile you weren’t expected to—like an amerciable vigor station. And helium would travel connected and each the soldiers loved him, but it was similar a pirate vigor station. I deliberation his sanction was Dave Rabbit. I went down that spread for a mates months wherever I was like, “Whoa, this is nuts.” He did this, and helium did similar drama sketches and bits—he was a Howard Stern for the soldiers benignant of thing. It was interesting.

io9:  That’s awesome. So, wow, um, uh, backmost to Lego, I guess?

Moynihan: Yeah, yeah, backmost to Lego.

io9: Do you person a favourite Lego set?

Moynihan: As of late, I truly similar that Batman one, the ’89 Batman 1 that they enactment out, the fold-out one. It’s the full Batcave. It’s beauteous amazing. Now, I mean, I person my ain Jedi Starfighter, truthful present that’s everlastingly my favorite. The Home Alone 1 is beauteous fascinating.

io9: Oh, the recreation of the house?

Moynihan: Yeah, they person the full house. It’s fantastic.

io9: Have you ever submitted to Lego Ideas before?

Moynihan: That’s truthful weird that you said that. I conscionable did. Do you cognize Jon Sosis, by immoderate chance? He does a Lego amusement connected the internet, Building Friendships. Shout retired to Jon. We tried to bash the [Saturday Night Live] stage, the main signifier of SNL, with a “Weekend Update” thing. We conscionable submitted that. But I deliberation they denied it for immoderate reason.

io9: Oh, really?

Moynihan: They hatred me.

io9: Maybe they similar the the ’90s cast.

Moynihan: I did it precise aggressively.

io9: What astir favourite sci-fi? Books, movies?

Moynihan: Favorite sci-fi movies—Star Wars, obviously. All those. Anything similar that. I bask being entertained with fantastical things. It’s weird I wasn’t into Star Trek arsenic a kid. I missed Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons. I was alert of each that but that’s not needfully my wheelhouse. I was much into each cartoon Filmation did, [and besides shows like] Bionic Six and SilverHawks.

io9: Filmation did the Star Trek cartoon, though, right?

Moynihan: I judge so, yes. They did, like, the Ghostbusters but it wasn’t Ghostbusters, it was similar the ape and…

io9: The Ghostbusters from similar the ’40s oregon ’70s they brought back?

Moynihan: The ’40s, yeah. I was besides Orko [from Filmation’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe] for Halloween 2 years successful a row.

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Next, we spoke to Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), who plays Force-sensitive nerf herder, Sig Greebling; Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: No Way Home), who plays his brother, Dev Greebling—good successful 1 world, evil successful the other; and Marsai Martin (Black-ish), who plays Yesi Scala, the person they’re some successful emotion with, to sermon Lego, Star Wars, and their favourite movie villains. 

io9: What’s your past with these franchises, Gaten?

Gaten Matarazzo: I grew up connected both. Star Wars is benignant of a formative franchise successful my emotion of cinema and my emotion of each things that person to bash with weird-dom arsenic a whole. It’s the defining cornerstone portion of wherefore I emotion what I do, and it volition ever be. I dressed up arsenic Obi-Wan—I retrieve for a period consecutive I wore a Padawan braid. My ma had braided it up for maine and added a clip to and I wore it to school. It was beauteous hardcore and it remains so.

io9: So going into this, you knew who Kit Fisto was?

Matarazzo: Oh my gosh, bash I cognize who Kit Fisto was? I cognize what signifier of lightsaber combat Kit Fisto uses. Form I, by the way.

io9: Perfect. What astir you, Marsai? 

Marsai Martin: My past with Star Wars, unfortunately, is very, precise minimal. I emotion each Star Wars rides. I besides person a clump of cousins that are obsessed with Star Wars truthful I ever perceive it from them. So, to beryllium capable to beryllium a portion of specified a large franchise, it’s really, truly chill to marque a people on. And past Lego has besides conscionable been successful my beingness for a precise agelong time. I utilized to person a full clump of Legos due to the fact that it’s a precise large self-care thing. It’s truthful therapeutic, thing astir gathering Legos and conscionable putting it together.

And I cognize it’s benignant of trending close now, the Lego flowers—they rock, they’re awesome. They’re truthful good. Like they’re astatine the apical point. I person a small sister who is besides obsessed with Legos, but she beauteous overmuch breaks them down. They’re each implicit the level successful our house. So you gotta beryllium careful. But having the 2 worlds collide similar that is truthful amazing, ace dope to do, portion besides feeling different, feeling caller and exciting, and for old, young, whoever. It’s wide cosmopolitan to anybody that is successful emotion with some things.

io9: How astir you, Tony?

Tony Revolori: I emotion Legos. Lego bricks, Lego sets. I’ve been loving them since I was a kid, truthful I perfectly adore them and I’ve been a large instrumentality of the Star Wars beingness since I was a small kid, you know? Growing up with seeing the prequels successful theaters, you know, and those shoddy lightsabers that we would get from Toys R Us, if we retrieve what those stores are, and such. I’m a large instrumentality of both, and the information that I get to beryllium a portion of this is conscionable a immense grant and I’m grateful.

io9: You’re playing different villain successful this. Do you consciousness similar that’s becoming your happening aft the Spider-Man movies and Scream VI?

Revolori: I perfectly emotion it, due to the fact that I deliberation nary villain is the same. Really, I deliberation if you play antithetic villains, nary substance what, they’ll each person antithetic backstories. They’re conscionable absorbing characters ’cause they’re interesting. I deliberation arsenic an actor, you bash these quality studies connected your characters to benignant of dive heavy into them and fig them out. And there’s nary much absorbing than the villains. It’s truthful fun. It’s truthful good. What makes you tick the mode you tick? What made you evil? And if you’re conscionable evil, past okay. I’d beryllium like, “Okay.” No one’s ever conscionable evil, though. No character. There’s ever an root story. Just bullied arsenic a kid. There’s ever an root story, you know?

io9: Who’s your favourite villain, then?

Revolori: Oh no, you cognize what? I’m gonna bring it backmost to idiosyncratic who’s besides a portion of this show, successful Mark Hamill’s Joker, who’s incredible, yet specified a playful tone. So villainous and scary. It was wonderful, to beryllium honest, it’s conscionable an grant to beryllium capable to bash enactment with him successful the voiceover world. I was fortunate capable to enactment with him connected a amusement years ago, but being capable to enactment with him successful a voiceover capableness is conscionable a existent honor.

io9: What astir you, Marsai?

Martin: Oh my goodness. I don’t know, that’s truly hard. I consciousness similar Darth Vader is ever the go-to villain for anybody. Also, erstwhile it comes to unrecorded action, I’ve ever loved the antagonist characters that… you don’t truly cognize that they’re the villain until the mediate of the film. I emotion erstwhile movies crook retired to beryllium similar that. I don’t cognize if you guys person ever seen Dreamgirls. The 1 with Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Foxx. [There’s] thing astir a quality similar that, wherever you consciousness similar he’s beloved successful the beginning, and past successful the mediate [you realize], “Oh no, there’s immoderate different BS going on.” I emotion characters similar that, that benignant of dilatory crook into the antagonist and you cognize that they’re the problem.

io9: What astir you, Gaten?

Matarazzo: Darth Vader’s similar the quintessential villain. And it’s truthful brilliant, due to the fact that implicit the people of something—almost to the other effect of 1 who’s revealed dilatory to beryllium a villain—is [a character] that is dilatory revealed to, possibly not needfully not beryllium a villain, but [someone with] an root you tin empathize with. I deliberation what’s compelling astir antagonists successful wide is that it’s ever amusive to research what brings thing oregon idiosyncratic to that point.

In my non-serious mode of looking astatine it, I deliberation Syndrome from The Incredibles rocks. Because he’s conscionable a snot-nosed small kid. He’s a snot-nosed small kid who’s kinda bully astatine robotics. And he’s conscionable a spoiled small bitch. And I deliberation it’s truly funny. Because I deliberation it’s specified a comic duality betwixt Mr. Incredible and Syndrome. Because Mr. Incredible’s like, astir apt his biggest favored peeve is snot-nosed small kids, due to the fact that he’s a dad—and watching that dynamic of being like, “Oh, if my kid ever ended up similar this…” And I deliberation it’s truthfully hilarious, consistently truthful funny.

io9: To close, immoderate Star Wars heroes you’d similar to spot arsenic villains, arsenic they are successful this aft the rod shift?

Matarazzo: Ooh, yes, yeah. I’d similar to spot R2-D2 and C-3PO successful a Bonnie and Clyde run-and-gun bounty huntsman relationship.

Revolori: I would emotion to spot Oscar Isaac’s quality from the caller trilogy, [Poe Dameron], I’d emotion to spot him paired up with, maybe, Han Solo. Yeah. Like truly, genuinely bad.

Martin: I don’t person one. No secrets.

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Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy arrives September 13 connected Disney+.

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