In Duke's expectations, the film's heroine was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old young woman who knew nothing about the Skywalker family or the many secrets of Star Wars. She was simply a girl struggling to survive on a desert planet, constantly striving to live and looking forward to the future. He wanted to find an actress who embodied such a strong and resilient image.
During the subsequent audition, Daisy Ridley, who stood five feet seven inches tall, completely changed her poor previous performance and showed her unique strengths. Duke was also left with a good impression of her.
Quiet, obedient, and with strong explosive power—though her figure appeared slender, Daisy Ridley possessed an athletic physique, and the lines of her arms were both beautiful and refined.
After finishing a routine self-introduction, Daisy Ridley stood there while Duke crossed his arms and looked at her, suddenly asking, "You just saw part of the character's scene fragment. Do you think you're suitable for this role?"
A vague piece of script footage revealed almost nothing, and Daisy Ridley had no way of judging what kind of character it truly was. Even with acting ability, there was little room to display it.
A girl in her early twenties who possessed truly outstanding acting skills could be called a genius among geniuses. In Duke's more than twenty years of career, he had only seen two such people. He didn't expect himself to be as lucky as George Lucas—to encounter one of them. Judging from the current audition results, there was indeed no such acting prodigy present.
Therefore, a performance similar to Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark—where the actor's personality matched the role—would undoubtedly shape the character better.
Duke wanted to find someone whose temperament naturally resembled that of the female protagonist.
"Although my acting career has just begun, and many things are still immature…"
Clearly, after her earlier adjustment, Daisy Ridley had grown increasingly confident. Especially paired with her firm features and determined gaze, her entire aura appeared particularly distinctive. "But I think I can bring freshness and confidence to the role."
The audition room fell silent again. Duke didn't speak further, but his long-time collaborator Tina Fey asked, "Who is your favorite actor?"
"Carey Mulligan!" Daisy Ridley answered without hesitation. "She's done such an amazing job. Her characters are incredible. And she keeps her life very private."
Tina Fey gave her no time to think and followed up immediately, "How would you approach your future life as an actress?"
"Act well and live well." Daisy Ridley still didn't pause to think. "I believe one should be strong, thoughtful, and cautious. One must be aware of one's influence on others. When facing things that may change your life and fill you with uncertainty—don't be afraid."
Duke nodded slightly toward Tina Fey, who then said to Daisy Ridley, "That's all for today's audition. I'll inform your agent of the specific results."
After Daisy Ridley left, Duke turned to Anna Prinz and Robin Grand and said, "Add Daisy Ridley to the priority follow-up list."
If Daisy Ridley's later auditions proved outstanding enough, Duke wouldn't mind choosing a British actress as the film's leading lady.
After leaving the audition room, Duke and Tina Fey had just returned to the office when Charles Roven knocked and entered. There was no need for formality between them—he sat directly across from Duke's desk.
Charles Roven asked tentatively, "Duke, are you planning to use an Asian-American actor for one of the male leads, Finn?"
"Not an Asian-American actor," Duke corrected him. "A Chinese-American actor."
"Making a Chinese-American actor the second male lead?" Charles Roven frowned slightly. "I don't think a Chinese-American actor would be more suitable than a Black actor. If, after the film's release, people start using racial discrimination as an excuse…"
"Charles." Duke raised his hand to stop him. "The first lead is a white woman. The second lead is a Chinese-American man. The third lead is a Latino actor. Then among the other positive characters, we'll include one Black actor."
Since the office only had insiders, Duke didn't bother to conceal his words. "If that setup still leads those overly sensitive people to accuse us of racial discrimination, then they'll just be looking for trouble themselves."
Not to mention the Chinese or Asians—in the U.S., the Latino population already far outnumbered Black people. Though their social status wasn't as high, they couldn't be ignored either.
Hearing this, Charles Roven and Tina Fey both laughed. This approach indeed left little room for others to accuse them of racial bias.
Duke then looked toward Tina Fey and said, "Give Charles the materials I asked you to prepare."
Tina Fey pulled out a folder, walked over, and handed it to Charles Roven. He opened it, glanced through a bit, and said, "I think I've heard of this Daniel Wu."
"He's a Chinese-American actor who has very high popularity in the market across the Pacific. His public image has always been bright and healthy," Duke briefly explained. "His wife's family is among the wealthy elite in Las Vegas, and he himself has a strong understanding of our culture."
After the preparatory meeting, Duke had spent a long time considering the choice of the male lead. For Star Wars: Episode VII to achieve an explosive success, the Chinese market was not something that could be ignored. Although after acquiring Lucasfilm, he had already launched numerous promotional campaigns across the Pacific—far stronger than what Walt Disney had ever done—those efforts alone wouldn't be enough for the film to achieve a box-office boom there.
Adding a Chinese-American actor with both good popularity and a positive image across the Pacific naturally became one of Duke's strategies.
Choosing Daniel Wu wasn't out of Duke's personal preference—it was simply that he couldn't find anyone more suitable.
Daniel Wu had enough recognition across the Pacific, almost no scandals, and a bright, healthy public persona. His participation would inevitably draw attention from moviegoers there. More importantly, Daniel Wu had long become a U.S. citizen and already held a certain degree of fame in America as well.
To some extent, this would also reduce unnecessary resistance.
From a market perspective, casting Daniel Wu was far more appropriate than casting a Black actor. Though few people said it openly, in truth, a Black leading role had indeed affected the box-office performance of the previous Star Wars film across the Pacific. Even Walt Disney had anticipated this—when producing the Chinese versions of the posters and trailers, the Black actor had been placed in an inconspicuous position.
It wasn't just about box office. Related merchandise—especially character licensing—was also affected. How many figures or toys based on a Black actor's image could actually sell? In contrast, Daniel Wu represented a vast and ever-growing market—one that was becoming increasingly structured and standardized.
From every perspective, choosing Daniel Wu as the male lead is a hundred times better than choosing a Black actor.
Indeed, having a Chinese-American appear among the main cast of Star Wars would inevitably provoke resentment and resistance from certain white supremacists. But the problem is, if they chose a Black actor, those same issues would still exist—the controversies surrounding the previous film were proof of that.
Charles Roven immediately contacted Daniel Wu's agent. Daniel Wu had long wanted to build his career in Hollywood, though progress hadn't been smooth. At the moment, he was in talks with the joint production of Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures' World of Warcraft film, trying to land the role of Gul'dan.
Unlike in the past, when Legendary Pictures first collaborated with Warner Bros. and later parted ways, the current Legendary Pictures—due to Duke's influence—had never been involved in the Batman trilogy or Inception, nor did it have any partnership with Warner Bros. It was, at best, an unremarkable mid-tier studio.
Furthermore, the role of Gul'dan was completely motion-captured, meaning Daniel Wu's face would never even appear on screen.
Granted, World of Warcraft was one of the most successful online games ever, boasting a massive global following, and the film adaptation attracted plenty of attention. Yet, compared with Star Wars, it was simply not on the same level. And honestly, how many video-game movie adaptations had ever truly succeeded?
Between World of Warcraft and Star Wars, the choice wasn't difficult for any actor to make.
After Duke personally spoke with Daniel Wu on the phone, the well-known Chinese-American actor didn't hesitate to abandon the still-preparing World of Warcraft project and threw himself into Star Wars VII. As long as he passed the audition, he would play the film's second male lead.
The audition work was intense and busy. Practically everyone who could pull strings tried to reach Duke in one way or another to recommend suitable actors. Duke's agent, Nancy Josephson, was no exception—she recommended her newly signed actress, Chloë Moretz.
Unlike before, Duke rejected Nancy Josephson's suggestion without hesitation after just glancing at Chloë Moretz's recent photos.
He indeed wanted a female lead who wasn't overly frail, but neither could she be as sturdy as Chloë Moretz. This actress, famous for playing Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass, was practically the living example of a Hollywood child star's decline. As a child, she had been adorably charming and full of spirit, but as an adult, not only had she grown awkwardly—her face had stiffened into something almost zombie-like…
Such an actress simply didn't fit Duke's requirements for the heroine.
As with all Hollywood films and directors, not every actor was eager to join Duke's crew. For instance, Michael Fassbender politely declined the offer to play the main villain, choosing instead to continue portraying Magneto.
Some weren't interested in joining the production, while others actively sought roles. Benedict Cumberbatch auditioned for the villain Kylo Ren but was eliminated by Duke in the first round—unless he'd lost his mind, Duke would never cast Benedict Cumberbatch.
..
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