Gaten Matarazzo Talks All Things LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild…

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy launches on Disney+ today, and is probably one of the wackiest, interesting concepts to have emerged from the Star Wars franchise in some time. It tells the story of Sig Greebling, a young, family-orientated nerf herder who gets caught up in far greater events that cause the LEGO Star Wars universe as fans know it to essentially turn upside down. As a concept, fun is very much at its core, and it promises to take fans on an unforgettable journey.

The Best War Games caught up with lead actor Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Sig Greebling, and discussed the LEGO Star Wars project in detail. Among other topics, the Stranger Things star talked about his lifelong love of Star Wars as a franchise, his favorite movie of the Saga, and the reason why voice-acting roles fit so well into his busy schedule. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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By Daniel Dilena

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is By Fans, For Fans

Q: You're a huge Star Wars fan. How exciting is it to join the Star Wars galaxy?

Matarazzo: It's like a dream. If I were to go back and tell seven-year-old me that that's what was in the wheelhouse eventually, I don't think he'd be able to physically comprehend that. It's an absolute honor, and to be able to do it in a project that's super fun and low stakes and made by fans, for fans, makes it even better because I think it's clear there's currently a little bit of stress in the Star Wars world.

Star Wars fans are hard to please. Historically, they’ve always been very hard to please. In a sea of things that come out that I've always thought objectively are pretty great, Star Wars fans, a lot of times, are really frustrated. These projects don’t seem to resonate with some of them personally, so when there’s a project like this, it's just like, let's take a breather. Let's relax, have fun, and just love this world that we've built and just goof off.

It’s a world where anything that you want to happen, can happen. Especially having people from the Star Wars universe hop on board with it; for instance, Mark Hamill joining the cast just blew our minds when he signed on for it. We were so excited. It’s the same with Ahmed Best as well. It's just fun to do. It's fun to watch.

Recent Reactions to Star Wars Projects Shouldn't Affect Rebuild the Galaxy or Its Cast

Q: You touched on some of the reactions to some of the more recent Star Wars projects that have launched, and how it's been a little polarizing. Does that add any additional pressure on you and this project?

Matarazzo: I think it would, if it wasn't such a low-stakes project in the sense of—we're just here to have some fun. Because I think if anybody is to look at this show and go down the normal YouTube Star Wars rabbit holes, that's just funny to me. It ain't that deep. This is just like a bit of nerdy fun. We're here to enjoy it and find that same joy we had when we first started watching Star Wars as a kid. This is hopefully just a perfect reminder of doing that.

I think it'll help people watch other stuff in this universe, which could be great. I think a lot of people will think this is cool. You get to watch people with lightsabers slice through droids, and you get to see one of the coolest universes ever built for TV. I think it's just going to be a really refreshing take and a really fun new spin that people will enjoy. That's the hope.

Q: What is your favorite Star Wars movie and why?

Matarazzo: I have a deep understanding that Empire Strikes Back is probably, objectively the best Star Wars movie that's ever been made, and I think it's probably in the top five best movies of all time, but my favorite is Return of the Jedi. That's the one that I snuck into my room with a DVD player I found in the attic so that on school nights I would fall asleep to it.

I memorized the first act of that movie right up to the Sarlacc pit. I would never make it past the Sarlacc pit because I'd fall asleep. That's my favorite, but I fully understand that Empire is, without a doubt, the most impressive movie of the franchise. I do have a soft spot for the lightsaber battles in Revenge of the Sith. I could just watch them on repeat. They're just perfect.

I think what makes the prequels so special is the world-building. You get to see it all come into full effect for the first time, with the animation, etc. With the prequels, I feel like George Lucas felt that he had the budget to completely show everybody the world that he had created all those years before, and he succeeded. I'm so glad the prequels are getting that love now, too. Now I feel like you go online, it sometimes feels like more people are about the prequels than the originals.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy's Setting is an Interesting One

Q: What can you tell us about LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy’s setting, and where it fits exactly in terms of the overall timeline of the Saga?

Matarazzo: I think what's fun is that it’s like a full rebrand shift of the Saga and the timeline that we know. It doesn't necessarily need to fit into a canon world, because the whole point of the show is ripping that canon apart and just mix-and-matching it as you would with actual LEGO. But it starts further down the line, after the events of the First Order, the Empire, the Rebellion, and the Jedi Order, and at this point, because it's been so long in the past, these stories are like mythological, almost legends.

It paves the way for people in this universe to become obsessed with these stories. Which is who my character, Sig Greebling, is. He’s basically a Star Wars fan in the Star Wars universe. He sits around the campfire and tells the stories of Anakin, Luke, and Rey, and all of his friends are like, "Yes, we know," "Yes, we get it." I guess, in context, he would be like a history nerd or a mythology nerd. Then he gets whisked away on an adventure when he finds out that those stories that he loves are all real.

He finds a Jedi Temple and he ends up accidentally messing with a very important LEGO piece called the Cornerstone. When removed from this temple, the Cornerstone rearranges the galaxy, completely reshuffling everything we know and love about the Star Wars universe, so good guys are bad, bad guys are good. All bets are off. Tatooine becomes a swamp planet, everything switches around. It's crazy.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy's Sig Greebling Shares Some Characteristics With Gaten Matarazzo

Q: Does Sig Greebling have any defining character traits that you can identify with?

Matarazzo: I would certainly say so. He's a very overzealous nerd. He's very passionate about the things he loves. He's very family-oriented. He's really satisfied with himself in the place that he is as a nerf herder. The fact he’s a nerf herder is hilarious. He is just really content to live a small-town life with his family. He loves his brother very much, loves his friends, and he struggles to kind of fully put himself out there.

He’s a bit of an introvert, but he ends up inadvertently being whisked away on an adventure and finds that he is himself, a pretty adventurous guy with capabilities that he never really thought before. He starts to figure out that he has the potential to be Force-sensitive, which is a fun little twist. It’s awesome.

Q: You've done plenty of voice-acting work before. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages when you compare that with live-action?

Matarazzo: The thing is, you're doing a completely different thing when you go into voice-acting booths. What I love so much about it is that you can do physically whatever you want. When you're on-screen or on stage, you have to be body conscious, and you have to live in the reality of what you're doing.

But in the booth, if you need to jump around, if you need to do jumping jacks, push-ups, if you need to wave your arms around, if you need to do whatever you want with your face, you can, in order to bring out your own vocal performance. All bets are pretty much off, and it is so much fun. It feels kind of like an acting exercise when you're in there because it's super freeing, and I love it!

Q: What has it been like working with legendary Star Wars actors like Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams?

Matarazzo: I didn't get any direct interaction with those guys, as we recorded our parts at different times. I’m hoping eventually, during the show’s promotion or maybe screenings, or things like that, I'll get to see them, of course. I’m an overwhelming fan of all of their work and what they've done with this universe and outside of it as well. I remember I was recording early in the process with the rest of the cast, and I'm already such a big fan of all their work. So just as we were going in, little by little, they would be like, we got Billy, we got Anthony, and then we got Mark, and I would ask every day, "Did we get them yet?" They're like, "We're still talking, we're still pitching the script."

When Mark decided—very graciously—to be a part of this project, we were all so excited because not only is he one of the most iconic actors alive for his work that he did with the Star Wars universe but he's also one of the most talented and accomplished voice actors to be in the game. In a sea of incredible Joker actors, Mark Hamill probably still is the best Joker, and I will stand by that for sure. Of course, you have Joaquin [Phoenix] and Heath [Ledger], who also gave exceptional performances, but to have Mark as part of this project was mind-blowing.

Q: You've had fantastic success with Stranger Things. Do you feel that the work you've done there has influenced your work in a wider sense, and if so, how?

Matarazzo: I think it's just being able to be in a room and create a character and have the time to just have fun and do it consistently, which is not something a lot of actors get to do. I’m very grateful for it. It's done nothing but prep me for what comes next, and I can't wait to see what that might be.

Also, it showed me all the different routes that I can take, because during the process of filming a season I can't do film or theater, so one of my only options that I can fit into my schedule is voice-acting work. I think part of why I enjoy voice-acting is because it was my only work option while filming. I was able to develop a love for that primarily because of Stranger Things, and I'm very grateful for that. On weekends or a day I'm not shooting, I can go to the booth, whereas I can't just go to another city or another set.

Fans New to Star Wars May Struggle to Follow Rebuild the Galaxy

Q: For those that haven't really ventured into the Star Wars universe themselves, is this a good opportunity for them to do it? Is it a good entry point for new fans?

Matarazzo: I think what I love about this show specifically, is that it is for fans, by fans. I think that is primarily who is going to enjoy this show. Mainly people who have seen the movies and love the movies. I think it's cool that we can make a show that pigeonholes toward that specific audience because there are so many people who love Star Wars and have seen it and will be able to get it.

I will say that if you have not seen Star Wars and don't know it, I would love to see a reaction video watching the show and being so confused, then watching the originals and piecing it all together. There's got to be somebody out there that can do that.

Q: Animated LEGO projects appeal to a wide demographic thanks to their use of adult humor at times. Is LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy aiming for a similar demographic?

Matarazzo: I think so, yeah. I think what's so great about it specifically is that we have so many references to Star Wars as a whole and the early process of making those original movies. People who grew up watching it are going to really, really love it just as much as people who dive into the expansive universe, which we also have references to. The writers for the LEGO projects and LEGO animation stuff have always just been really clever and really witty. I'm a firm believer that kids' TV doesn't have to be bad TV.

I think that LEGO, along with a lot of other amazing companies like Disney and Pixar, have always been able to make family-friendly content that is just really objectively good. I think LEGO has been able to do that, Star Wars has been able to do that, and Disney's been able to do that very well, so it's kind of like the best team to have. It's the best group of people to have at your disposal to make a show like that. I think we did it really well.

Q: What's next for you? After the final season of Stranger Things, have you got things lined up after that?

Matarazzo: I've got a few things lined up. It's hard to say because it's hard to schedule, as we don't necessarily know how long we're gonna be filming Stranger Things. Two things are more or less on the back burner that I'd love to jump into quickly after finishing. I live in New York City, so I'd love to consistently work there. If there are projects that pop up there, then that is ideal.

I'd love to keep working in the theater, if possible, to get back on stage. I love to sing, but it's very stressful, especially in the context of singing around like beautifully, classically trained singers. There’s a lot of pressure there. I'd love to do a play. I'd love to do one where I can just do what I do on screen on a stage, and that could be a big goal of mine coming up after.

[END]

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is now streaming on Disney+.

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