If you think you’re the only one in the dark about Star Wars: Episode VII, think again. Even the actors don’t know what’s going on. At least that’s the case for Miltos Yerolemou, who plays a small role in the film.
“I can’t tell you anything about Star Wars. Even if I could, I don’t know where I’d begin, because there was so much secrecy,” he said on Friday afternoon.
Yerolemou, who’s best known for playing sword fighter Syrio Forel in the series Game of Thrones, was at the Middle East Film and Comic Con press conference. He was on the panel alongside the legendary William Shatner, Hayley Atwell, Kelly Hu, Sam J. Jones, Clive Standen and others.
“Only the real principles [on the set of Star Wars] actually saw a full script. The rest of us got little sides on the day we turned up, and we had to kind of sign for them, and someone stood over your shoulder while you learned your lines, and they were like, ‘Have you finished yet? Have you finished?’ and then they’d go away.
“That was literally it. And so, the context of any scene that you did within the film — I have no idea. It’s going to be a complete surprise to me.”
In the meantime, Jones spoke about the defining role he played in 1980 as Flash Gordon, and commented on the unreliable nature of the television and film industry.
“That was 36 years ago, Flash Gordon. But I have a cool little answer that my wife told me about 12 years ago — she said, ‘You’re a talented actor, but the phone’s not ringing right now. We have three kids in diapers, there’s the door, get your [expletive] out there, don’t come back until you can provide for your family.’
“I’m a former marine before I was an actor, so I made a few calls and in between television series that have not picked up, and in between films, I run security operations in high risk environments, and it’s steady work. I love it.”
An actress such as Atwell might be enjoying a higher job security in the entertainment industry as the title character in the Marvel series Agent Carter.
“Audiences were speaking out, saying we want more female-led shows,” she said.
“It was a great success. I was getting fantastic letters from families and from young girls saying she’s a positive role model in the world. She knows her value, she doesn’t need to prove it to anyone else, she’s full of positive messages about self-worth and self-esteem, which is something the world wants more of. It’s the beginning of that, but it’s going to take some time until really where we should be.”
