Is the trilogy wasting Lupita Nyong'o?

[Anthony W]

Even before I saw the Black Panther movie I always questioned why such a stunning actress like Lupita Nyong'o was being hidden behind a bland Yoda homage. Now after seeing her in Black Panther it's going to be harder than ever to tolerate that chunk of cgi. Why would you get Lupita Nyong'o to do Maz? What was the thought processes behind that? The only thing you see when you look at the character is the potential being squandered. And the more Lupita Nyong'o career takes off the worse the character looks. Maybe JJ can just kill Maz off in the first ten minutes and then one of Maz's helpers who is played by Lupita Nyong'o can take over?

What do you folks think? Is the trilogy wasting Lupita Nyong'o?

[ChrisIII]

Pretty much all the trilogies have had acclaimed actors and actresses in fairly small roles (Take Jimmy Smits, Forest Whitaker, etc); or mostly casted unknowns as the principals with more well-known supporting players-Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, Alec Quiness, Cushing etc...(in the sequels, the OT heroes kind of count as this as well).

As for having potential being wasted by CG, Lupita's not the only high-profile actor whose been hidden behind CG in the film. Brian Blessed is a well-known Shakespearean actor. His role in Star Wars? The sputtering Gungan king, Boss Nass.

[thwhtGuardian]

Even before I saw the Black Panther movie I always questioned why such a stunning actress like Lupita Nyong'o was being hidden behind a bland Yoda homage. Now after seeing her in Black Panther it's going to be harder than ever to tolerate that chunk of cgi. Why would you get Lupita Nyong'o to do Maz? What was the thought processes behind that? The only thing you see when you look at the character is the potential being squandered. And the more Lupita Nyong'o career takes off the worse the character looks. Maybe JJ can just kill Maz off in the first ten minutes and then one of Maz's helpers who is played by Lupita Nyong'o can take over?

What do you folks think? Is the trilogy wasting Lupita Nyong'o?

How would having her be one of Maz's helpers taking over operations be any different than her providing Maz's voice? Both would just be background characters so how would she be less wasted as a voice actress?

[Anthony W]

How would having her be one of Maz's helpers taking over operations be any different than her providing Maz's voice? Both would just be background characters so how would she be less wasted as a voice actress?

Who said the new character would have to be background? You can introduce her and then make her a major character. It worked for Rose Tico.

[BeastieRunner]

I've been seeing that she's to have WAY more screen time in IX. Like go on an adventure with the leads.

[Anthony W]

I've been seeing that she's to have WAY more screen time in IX. Like go on an adventure with the leads.

Wow, if that is true I guess the title of this thread should be "The trilogy is wasting Lupita Nyong'o"

[BeastieRunner]

Wow, if that is true I guess the title of this thread should be "The trilogy is wasting Lupita Nyong'o"

Based on JJ's track record something tells me if it's true, it's a side mission to have a reason to keep 1-2 people off camera (Rose/Finn would be my guess) for a prolonged period of time.

[thwhtGuardian]

Who said the new character would have to be background? You can introduce her and then make her a major character. It worked for Rose Tico.

What reason would there be for an assistant at Maz's cantina to be involved in a major plot? And how would it be significantly different than Maz being involved in the same plot?

[Anthony W]

What reason would there be for an assistant at Maz's cantina to be involved in a major plot? And how would it be significantly different than Maz being involved in the same plot?

I said assistant, which could mean anything.You're the one that said cantina, but considering that Maz's business was never on the up and up it doesn't really matter. It would be different because Lupita would be on our movie screens instead of her voice coming out of JJ's Yoda homage. I doubt the audience will miss Maz she was barely in TLJ.

[Scott Taylor]

As for having potential being wasted by CG, Lupita's not the only high-profile actor whose been hidden behind CG in the film. Brian Blessed is a well-known Shakespearean actor. His role in Star Wars? The sputtering Gungan king, Boss Nass.

Well, I'd have been pretty happy to have been "hidden" in that case.

In fact I really wonder if post-Lucas Star Wars is actually a help to stars. Both the prequels and the current movies have had the potential to make actors look really dumb, regardless of their box office.

[Anthony W]

Well, I'd have been pretty happy to have been "hidden" in that case.

In fact I really wonder if post-Lucas Star Wars is actually a help to stars. Both the prequels and the current movies have had the potential to make actors look really dumb, regardless of their box office.

Ewan McGregor and Samuel L Jackson came through the movies no worse for wear.

[sirmarkus]

Ewan McGregor and Samuel L Jackson came through the movies no worse for wear.

True that.

As for her usage, a good actor can, given the screen time, put in an amazing performance in motion capture. For what they did in Episode 8 it just wouldn't make sense to have Maz be a more prominent character. That said, I hope they include her in a more prominent role in Episode 9.

[Soubhagya]

Even before I saw the Black Panther movie I always questioned why such a stunning actress like Lupita Nyong'o was being hidden behind a bland Yoda homage. Now after seeing her in Black Panther it's going to be harder than ever to tolerate that chunk of cgi. Why would you get Lupita Nyong'o to do Maz? What was the thought processes behind that? The only thing you see when you look at the character is the potential being squandered. And the more Lupita Nyong'o career takes off the worse the character looks. Maybe JJ can just kill Maz off in the first ten minutes and then one of Maz's helpers who is played by Lupita Nyong'o can take over?

What do you folks think? Is the trilogy wasting Lupita Nyong'o?

I like the Maz Kanata character. You mentioned Yoda. Yes she's a bit like that. Maybe less weird. I liked her a lot in Force Awakens. And while her role was reduced and her appearance made no sense in TLJ, i found her role to be funny. She's good like this. There are many wonderful actors who play small roles. Alec Guinness had only one film, though his role was significant. Terence Stamp had a really small role. A waste of his talents. Samuel L. Jackson was a waste in those films. Christopher Lee was cool. But he wasn't used wisely. The list goes on. In comparison with them, except for Alec Guiness she is a more likeable character. She's wise. She's funny. Kinda weird. While a bit like Yoda, i disagree that she's bland.

I think Maz Kanata is a nice character. I wouldn't want her to die. Why did you even say that? Can she play another role? Sure. Mark Hamill played two roles in TLJ. The second one appeared for a short time though. I am okay with how she has been used so far but wish to see her more in Episode 9 provided she has a place in the story.

[ChrisIII]

I kind of like how Disney has, in part, allowed other characters to have the force (or at least revere it in a more complex way than the Rebelliion's peptalk) and not necessarily follow the Jedi/Sith thing (or whatever Snoke's faction/Knights of Ren are). Maz, Tekka (Sydow's character), Chirrut and Baze, and Lyra (Jyn's mother) Maybe the Caretakers too. As well as the various entities in Clone Wars and Rebels.


I don't quite see her as a Yoda type. She's not really a teacher or authority like Yoda, she just gives Rey and the other characters some advice.

[Zero Hunter]

I don't even think there was a need to have her in TLJ so not they are not wasting her. It really was just shoehorned in to get her in the movie for a minute. She was cool in TFA, but it should have ended there and having her show up in TLJ was just dumb.