Carrie-Ann Moss Gets Back in the Fight with ‘The Acolyte’: ‘Part of Me…Forgot How Much I Love Action.’

You’d think being part of franchises like “The Matrix” and Marvel’s “Jessica Jones” means Carrie-Ann Moss is naturally suited for action material, but she actually appreciates the metaphysical more than the physical. For her, no matter the job, it’s the process of inhabiting a character that feeds her soul, so when she got the offer to play a Jedi Master in the new “Star Wars” Disney+ television series “The Acolyte,” she knew merging herself with the role would mean reigniting her love of combat.

“Within my soul and my spirit, to get to play this Jedi Master and train for the fight was [an] amazing experience,” Moss said in a recent interview with Empire. “I really awakened, actually, a part of me that forgot how much I love action. I love it. I personally love being challenged. It’s a physical challenge, but it’s a mental challenge too. It helps you get into that world of the Jedi Master, with the mind-training.”

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“Acolyte” showrunner and creator Leslye Headland understood Moss’ passion right away, which is what attracted her to casting Moss, but what got Moss excited about stepping into another huge world and duking it out with her co-stars was the sense that there was a real narrative going on underneath all the lightsaber battles.

“It was really when she described the story within the fight,” Moss said, “because a good fight has a story. I love understanding the arc of a fight. When she described it to me, I was like, ‘I wanna be her. I wanna be in those shoes and discover that.’ Talking to [Leslye], she’s so creative, able to articulate her vision very clearly. You feel that way occasionally, where you have someone that has created a story – when you talk to them, you know right away. I felt that a few times in my career with some of the big things that I’ve done: ‘Memento,’ ‘The Matrix.’ You’re talking to the filmmaker and just go, ‘Oh, they totally get it.’ They know it so well that I trust them.”

As much trust Moss had of Headland, she also needed to apply that same trust to herself and acknowledge how ready she was to take on this part. Speaking to Empire, she said, “I love, at this phase of my career, being surprised. Being surprised at the depth of the world. The depth of being a Jedi. The rules. And yet, bringing my own self into that. Not playing the idea of the Jedi. How do I, Carrie-Anne, playing this role, bring all of my heart, spirit, soul, experience into this person? I didn’t realize that I was as prepared from my own personal exploration for the role.”

“The Acolyte” streams on Disney+ on June 4.

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