“It felt forced”: Freddie Prinze Jr. Never Wanted to Make an Appearance in The Rise of Skywalker
Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. who was a part of 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer followed by its sequel in 1998; I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, is considered one of the most talented actors in the entertainment industry. The actor voiced the character of Kanan Jarrus in the Star Wars universe. Kanan Jarrus is one of the main characters in Star Wars Rebels, which ran from 2014 to 2018.
The fictionalized character is a Jedi Padawan and has survived the Great Jedi Purge thanks to his master who sacrificed himself in the process to save him. Kanan and his crew when join the Rebel Alliance to help them fight against the Empire, just like his master, he sacrifices himself for his friends. The character has also appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi. But did you know Freddie Prinze Jr. wasn’t really happy to reprise his character for the other projects after Star Wars Rebels?
Freddie Prinze Jr. says Kanan Jarrus’ appearances felt forced after Star Wars Rebels
In an interview with ComicBook.com, actor Freddie Prinze Jr. revealed that no matter how much he loves the character of Kanan Jarrus, he seems to be done with it. He said,
“I didn’t even want to do the little voice over in the last Star Wars movie (The Rise of Skywalker). I thought it felt forced.”
In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey played by Daisy Ridley hears the voices of various Jedi during her confrontation with Palpatine Clone played by Ian McDiarmid. One of those various voices was of Kanan Jarrus who died in the Season 4 of Star Wars Rebels.
The actor continued,
“To me, every time I’m asked to do Kanan it waters down what was a beautiful ending. It’s this amazing powerful moment.”
Kanan Jarrus’ death is considered one of the most heartbreaking deaths in the Star Wars universe and his death is known as one of the turning points in the series. It gets sadder when it is revealed that the character was going to be a father but he won’t be able to know his son.
Freddie Prinze Jr. didn’t know what his cameo would be used for
Actor in his interview with IGN in 2020 via Star Wars News mentioned,
“Director JJ Abrams came in and kind of broke down the scene, and what was happening, and what was going on with Rey and what she was needing from the Jedi at that point. Because the Force provides you with what you need – not the Jedi per se, it’s the Force kind of dictating that.”
It was also revealed that it was Dave Filoni who had approached the actor for the cameo. Prinze Jr. added,
“I can’t wait to see more of this stuff in Dave’s head get out there. He’s told me some of the best – to where I felt like I was a kid and sitting on a pappy’s knee, and they were hearing an old story.”
He added at the time that he loved Dave’s influence over the brand at that point but earlier this year, he debunked all the rumors of Kanan Jarrus making his live-action debut. Freddie Prinze Jr. confessed that for him Kanan’s story ended on a beautiful note and they managed to achieve what they wanted to which is why he’s done.
