Laura Dern thinks 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' offers an "incredibly relatable" portrayal of women.
Laura Dern
The 50-year-old actress is one of the newest stars to join the saga and portrays Vice Admiral Holdo in the eighth instalment of the popular sci-fi franchise, and admitted she wanted to join 'Star Wars' because it is "empowering".
While attending the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' in Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday (10.12.17), she said: "What I love about 'Star Wars' and one of the reasons why I wanted to be in the movie is that it's one of the most human and empowering stories.
"It's about holding on to hope even in amidst of suffering and oppression. And it's incredibly relatable as a film of our time right now with the portrayal of women.
"To see a powerful female character in a movie that is also feminine moves away from a stereotype that's often perceived - that strong female characters must be like the boys, which is far from the truth."
Meanwhile, director Rian Johnson admitted he hopes audiences will be "pleasantly surprised" by the humour in the movie.
He said: "I hope audiences will pleasantly be surprised by how fun and funny the movie is.
"I really tried to balance the more intense stuff with humour and fun, because it's a 'Star Wars' movie, after all.
"That's what it's all about."
The new movie again sees the return of 'Star Wars' legends Mark Hamill as Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa.
'The Last Jedi' marks the last outing for Fisher, who tragically passed away last December after shooting her final scenes in the eighth instalment.
The film also stars John Boyega (Finn), Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Andy Serkis (Snoke) and Domhnall Gleeson (General Lux) who are all reprising their roles.
Tagged in Carrie Fisher Laura Dern Mark Hamill