There is no more secretive set in the world right now than that of Star Wars: Episode VII in England. The movie has been filming for months under the guidance of director J.J. Abrams, and one of the few things we know about it is that Abrams has insisted on embracing the dirty, analog feel of the original trilogy instead of the pristine, digital world of the prequels. Abrams is shooting on real film instead of using digital cameras, for example.
While the cast and crew are keeping mum on the movie's content, actor Oscar Isaac tells Entertainment Weekly that the vibe on set is one that's deeply passionate and respectful of how important this franchise is to its fans. It would be awfully easy for this kind of movie to slip into a sarcastic or self-important vibe, but Isaac says that's not happening.
"J.J. sets that tone. There's a lot of enthusiasm and it's being done with a lot of heart," he says. "There's nothing cynical about the way we're doing this."
That's not to say they're not having any fun, though. "J.J.'s been loosening it up a little bit and trying to make it alive and energized. It's not formal... We've all intentionally tried to make it a little more fiery and messy."
That's a far cry from the surgical precision George Lucas required on the prequel sets, where the actors were never allowed to improvise or even step outside of their marks. Several of the prequel actors have criticized Lucas in the years since for forcing them into wooden, near-robotic levels of acting to accommodate his intricately-planned digital visuals.
Isaac mentions the use of real sets instead of the actors being surrounded by green screens as evidence of Abrams' harkening back to the more realistic, lived-in nature of the original trilogy. He says of the sets and props, "You actually see it. It's all real. Everyone can interact with the world."
Another hallmark of the original trilogy is its charming use of what EW's interviewer calls "cheesy lines." Oscar Isaac laughs and replies, "I'm constantly looking for a cheesy line to say to harken back to the old ones."
He makes it sound as if Abrams is even allowing his actors to experiment and ad-lib lines as they go. Harrison Ford famously ad-libbed a line in The Empire Strikes Back after Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia finally admitted her love for him. His reply was a line that was never in the script.
Regarding the original trilogy actors, Isaac has nothing but praise. "They're such funny people. Carrie is hilarious and doing such cool work. Harrison is back... He looks incredible. Everyone's having a really good time."
Aside from the obvious, there's something else to note about Isaac's last comments. A recurring rumor suggests that he may be playing the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia. Isaac mentioning those two actors specifically suggests that he's spending much of his time filming with those two. Hmm.
But anyway. Chin up, Star Wars fans. It sounds like our beloved franchise is in very safe hands.
