In today's age of social media predominance and spoiler-centric content, it's truly amazing that "Star Wars" fans still have no idea what to expect from J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens." Abrams, along with Disney and Lucasfilm, have done a wonderful job of keeping the film tightly under wraps, including the main story line and several of the film's characters.
One specific character that fans have taken a keen interest in is Lupita Nyong'o's Maz Kanata. Fresh off her Academy Award-winning performance in "12 Years a Slave," Nyong'o's addition to the cast was praised by critics, industry insiders and fanboys alike. But the truth is, we know very little about her character.
What we do know is that Nyong'o will be using motion-capture technology to play an alien. Aside from that, your guess is as good as ours.
Fortunately, Abrams took pity on us poorly informed souls and opened up a bit about Maz's backstory in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. First, he confirmed that the small, smiling, little alien with dark goggles on the official "Force Awakens" movie poster is indeed Nyong'o's character. Then he explained that those goggles aren't just a fashion choice and that her eyes actually have a special power.
"I had some specific ideas about how she would work and what she would do," Abrams said. "I had this pitch about these goggles that she wore. Her eyes are an important aspect of her character, and you'll see how it plays out."
The latest trailer seemed to tease this development, with Maz being heard saying, "I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people. I see your eyes. I know your eyes."
Nyong'o wouldn't reveal the specific power her character possesses or how her eyes play an important role, but she did say that the entire experience was very interesting as a performer.
"As an actor for films, your eyes are a lot of the way you communicate anyway," Nyong'o said. "So it was definitely a gift to have that be the means to her magic as a motion-capture character."
Abrams delved a bit into the character's origins and provided fans with a basic backstory.
"Her history is that she was a pirate for a long time," he said. "She's lived over a thousand years. She's had this watering hole for about a century, and it's like another bar that you'd find in a corner of the Star Wars universe."
But what kind of alien is she? Are we familiar with her home planet? How did she acquire her powers?
"All that backstory will be forthcoming," Abrams said. "In the movie, you don't learn these things, but I know that these are things that are coming out in other venues." In other words, keep your eyes open.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will hit theaters on Dec. 18.
