An actor known for his villainous roles, Richard E. Grant has been the focus of fan speculation ever since his involvement in next year’s Star Wars Episode IX was first announced, and naturally, the theories have been baddie-oriented.
A few months ago, for instance, the most popular suggestion was that the Logan and Doctor Who antagonist would be taking on the role of the blue-skinned Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Star Wars Rebels animated series. Back in August, however, the theory ran out of steam when the actor himself flatly denied it. Fortunately, in a recent interview with Yahoo!, the star was all too happy to explain the details of both his character and the plot of the movie. The only problem is, he was only willing to do so by mouthing the words silently.
Grant knows all too well that there are a lot of fans out there anxious for some answers. In the same interview, the actor was asked if he’d read any theories about J.J. Abrams’ upcoming trilogy-closer, to which he responded:
“I have, and I’ve been asked in the street by people, and I’ve been told in the street by people what role I’m playing.”
Evidently, it could be some time before we hear who he’s actually playing, but one thing Grant can divulge is that he’s pretty shocked to be in this franchise:
“I saw the first one when I was a drama student in 1977,” Grant noted. “So if you told me then that I would be in a movie, which seemed absolutely beyond the realm of possiblity, and that, four decades later, I would actually be in the ninth, sort of final one of the whole arc of it, I would have said that you were either on drugs or certifiable. So I’m astonished that I’m in it.”
The rumors and theories for what to expect from Star Wars: Episode IX go well beyond Grant’s character, covering such debated topics as Rey’s ancestry and the role lined up for Luke Skywalker. At the moment, the team at Lucasfilm are staying pretty tight-lipped on such matters, but all will be revealed when the movie his theaters on December 20th, 2019.
