One of the most surprising moments in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t when Kylo Ren redeemed himself and helped Rey defeat Emperor Palpatine – his grandpappy Vader did much the same thing at the end of the Original Trilogy – but rather when the heroine and the former villain locked lips after their victory. The “Reylo” kiss wasn’t always set in stone, however, and was almost left on the cutting room floor.
Editor Maryann Brandon recently spoke to Huffington Post for an in-depth interview on how Episode IX came together. And one thing she touches on was this romantic scene between Rey and Ben Solo, formally Kylo. Brandon explained that the kiss take nearly didn’t make it in but it was ultimately felt that the story needed this moment between the pair.
“I always said, ‘The movie will tell us whether they should kiss or not. We will know by the time we get to the end of our process, if it should happen.’ And I felt it should, and [director J.J. Abrams] agreed with me, and other people who saw the film agreed.”
The filmmakers may have felt this way, but many fans do not. In fact, it offended people on both sides of the divide. Some felt a romance between Rey and Kylo glorified abusive relationships and sent out a bad message to kids. On the other hand, Reylo fans were furious that a happy ending for the duo was teased like this only to be snatched away seconds later when Kylo died. For Brandon, though, this kind of controversy is just part and parcel of making Star Wars movies.
“I know it’s not for everybody. I know there will be people who wish they hadn’t, but this is a film that was never going to please everyone, and I think that the reviews are kind of reflective of that. The things that certain people love, other people hated. And that’s the phenomenon of Star Wars.”
No doubt we’ll uncover more “what if?” stories and near-misses to do with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as time goes on and the cast and crew open up more about the production process. For now, though, let us know whether you’re a fan of the Reylo kiss in the comments section down below.