For actors, franchises can be a gift and a curse simultaneously. Money is a plus, certainly, and so is the newfound fame and recognizability. However, such treasures often come at the cost of artistic risks and availability to do anything other than the series they're then chained to. Long preproduction, long shoots and even longer reshoots fill the calendar and then there are endless promotional tours. In the end, the victims of the franchises are the performers' fans.
With the "end" of the Skywalker saga, it's a good time to ponder what comes next for the stars of the third Star Wars trilogy. Will these actors be able to ride the wave of popularity into exciting careers or will they forever be tied to these Disney-owned characters? We'll see…
DAISY RIDLEY
Even when the movies floundered away the potential of Rey, Daisy Ridley's performance was exceptional. While the upcoming releases of the ever-troubled Chaos Walking and the new Peter Rabbit movie might not inspire much confidence, there's a Marielle Heller penned drama in her future. With Heller's current filmography as precedent, we can expect great things from Kolma.
ADAM DRIVER
Driver is the current Star Wars actor that's managed to best balance the demands of the intergalactic franchise and his own creative pursuits. Just this year, he delivered three fine performances outside of that galaxy far far away and he's on his way to another Oscar nomination, maybe even a win. Up next is a Leos Carax's musical so we can safely say his future is rosy.
JOHN BOYEGA
Finn's character arc was utterly botched by the new trilogy. One hopes John Boyega can bounce back from this and use his fame to get himself into interesting projects. His participation in Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit and the sequel to Pacific Rim don't set a hopeful precedent, but Chase Palmer's Naked Singularity might do the trick. We can hope.
OSCAR ISAAC
Of this roster of Star Wars actors, Isaac is the one whose career was most noticeably obscured by the franchise. From 2011 to 2015, he became one of American cinema's most promising actors, giving a slew of Oscar-worthy performances along the way. Still, when Poe Dameron came around everything took a turn for the worst. Give or take Annihilation, his artsier pursuits were vaguely disastrous and his few attempts at blockbuster movies outside Star Wars were catastrophic (remember X-Men: Apocalypse?). With Denis Villeneuve's Dune and the new Paul Schrader film in his future, we hope things will soon improve.
KELLY MARIE TRAN
Apart from Chase Palmer's upcoming Naked Singularity (with John Boyega!), Tran's future doesn't seem particularly promising. With luck, the tides will change. She certainly has the charisma to warrant it and there has to be some karmic reward after the sidelining of her character in The Rise of Skywalker.
Which of these actors’ upcoming projects are you most excited for?