JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
The Acolyte Cast Guide: All Actors and Their Roles Explained For New Star Wars Series
As the saga of the Jedis protecting the galaxy from evil entities continues, new but well-known faces have signed into the franchise, like Amandla Stenberg and Lee Junh-jae from Squid Game.
The Star Wars spinoff series that premiered this week, The Acolyte houses a star-packed cast list. As the saga of the Jedis protecting the galaxy from evil entities continues, new but well-known faces have signed into the franchise, like Amandla Stenberg and Lee Junh-jae from Squid Game. The Acolyte also welcomes back a Star Wars veteran from the sequel trilogy as the series is based a century before 1999’s The Phantom Menace.
The classic sci-fi films’ supreme success, with both the Star Wars original and sequel trilogies, has inspired multiple new spinoffs spurring a modern generation of fans. Following The Acolyte’s release on 4 June 2024, here is all you need to know about the cast and characters of the Star Wars series:
Amandla Stenberg as Osha and Mae
Amandla Stenberg, 25, stars in not one, but two characters in The Acolyte. She plays Osha and Mae, the sisters who were separated in their youth owing to a tragic incident. Speaking of her two characters, The Hate U Give star shared of going with the idea of two opposite personalities for Osha and Mae – Han Solo and Anakin Skywalker.
"For one of my characters, I wanted that character to feel warm and kind of masculine and I thought about Han Solo…and with the other character, I thought about Anakin when he went to the dark side of the force,” Stenberg told RadioTimes.com in May.
Stenberg, who was once named one of the Times’ Most Influential Teen Icons, channeled the deep pain of Anakin that lured him into the dark side of the force in one of her characters whereas the Rebel Alliance leader's warm and often humorous persona for the other.
This is not the first franchise film Amandla Stenberg has worked on. Her early breakout roles came from the blockbuster franchise, The Hunger Games where she portrayed Rue as a child actor. Other projects include The Hate U Give, Everything, Everything, The Darkest Minds, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies and Where Hands Touch.
Lee Jung-jae as Jedi Master Sol
South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, best known for Squid Game, stars as the leading Jedi Master Sol who trains young Jedi apprentices. He had trained Osha as his Padawan.
The 51-year-old star said that portraying Master Sol was very fun and interesting for him, alongside Stenberg’s Osha. “he really cares for both Osha and Mae and he feels a lot of guilt over the situations in the past that led to what's happening in the present,” Lee told Radiotimes.com. The Emmy-winning actor addressed the complexity of his character’s situation that sparked an “inner turmoil” of intense emotions.
The Acolyte is Lee’s first English feature for which he specifically learned the language and the effort has been well-received by fans, per the report.
Lee Jae-jung played Seong Gi-hun in Netflix’s Squid Game. His Korean works include The Housemaid, New World, Hunt, and Deliver Us from Evil among others.
Manny Jacinto as Qimir
Manny Jacinto, 38, takes on the role of a former smuggler leading a life of riches in The Acolyte. The Canadian actor explained his character as a “selfish little dude!” Qimir is self-made and more of a lone wolf and it is not clear if he backs the Jedis or Mae. “He’s really just trying to survive,” Jacinto told the outlet.
Jacinto recently appeared as Fritz in the blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise. However, his best-known work is NBC’s The Good Place. Other projects are I Want You Back, Nine Perfect Strangers, and Cora Bora.
Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon
Dafne Keen, 19, plays Jecki Lon who is another of Master Sol’s Padawans. The character is wise and at times outsmarts her Jedi master.
Hailing from Madrid, Spain, Dafne Keen is widely recognized for her performance as mutant X-23/Laura Kinney in the 2017 hit, Logan. She made her debut with the TV series, The Refugees as Ana ‘Ani’ Cruz Oliver. Other works include Ana and His Dark Materials.
Charlie Barnett as Yord Fandar
Charlie Barnett, 38, plays Yord Fandar, a Jedi Knight and temple guardian in the Star Wars spinoff series.
Best known for his portrayal of a firefighter in NBC’s Chicago Fire until 2015, Barnett has also made appearances in Penn Badgley’s You and Orange Is The New Black.
Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya
Jodie Turner-Smith, 37, will star as Mother Aniseya, a leader of the coven of Force Witches. The character is expected to be a central figure in Amandla Stenberg’s Osha and Mae’s storylines.
The British model-turned-actress debuted her acting career with The Neon Demon and starred in other films like Queen & Slim, Anne Boleyn, After Yang, and Without Remorse.
Joonas Suotamo as Kelnacca
Joonas Suotamo, 37, is the only Star Wars veteran to be included in The Acolytes’s castlist. The Finnish actor played Chewbacca in the Star Wars sequel trilogy after replacing the original Wookiee, Peter Mayhew.
Also a professional basketball player, Suotamo has worked in Solo: A Star Wars Story and Willow. He is also set to appear in the sequel season of Netflix’s Wednesday.
The full list of cast members is as follows:
- Amandla Stenberg as Osha and Mae
- Lee Jung-jae as Sol
- Manny Jacinto as Qimir
- Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon
- Charlie Barnett as Yord Fandar
- Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya
- Rebecca Henderson as Vernestra Rwoh
- Joonas Suotamo as Kelnacca
- Carrie-Anne Moss as Indara
- Dean-Charles Chapman as Torbin
- Margarita Levieva as Mother Koril
- Abigail Thorn as Ensign Eurus: an ensign
- Leah and Lauren Brady as young Osha and Mae
- Amy Tsang as TBC
- David Harewood as TBC.1
Star Wars: The Acolyte is available to stream on Disney+.
ALSO READ: The Acolyte Episode 2 Ending Explained: What Happens To Mae and Osha?
Latest Articles
