When The Force Awakens first came around, many complained that without his mask, Kylo Ren felt more like an emotional wreck than an intimidating force. But perhaps that was the point. He isn’t supposed to have the regal presence of his grandfather, Darth Vader nor the terrifying stature of say, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Kylo Ren is a complex young man who’s conflicted and desperately trying to find his place in this world. This inner turmoil makes it easy for the dark side to seduce him. Kylo Ren is the core of the thematically rich sequel trilogy that explores the grey areas and complexities of its characters unlike never before in Star Wars.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren discusses the psychological state of his character. He discusses the struggle of being the kid of the two coolest people in the galaxy. Driver points out that while Ren’s parents, Han and Leia, are cool, their dedication and obsession with their lifestyles — smuggling, rebelling — don’t leave much room for raising kids. He grew up under the crushing pressure of having to live up to unrealistic expectations.
“How do you form friendships out of that? How do you understand the weight of that? And if there’s no one around you guiding you, or articulating things the right way … it can easily go awry. By the emotional logic that governs the Star Wars universe—and also our own—Kylo Ren is going to have to confront the past, and his fears, whatever they are, or be destroyed by them.”
In the same interview, Driver also discussed the whole ReyLo situation and whether Kylo Ren will end up being in a relationship with Rey, possibly as part of a redemption angle. Naturally, Driver wasn’t able to reveal much, but he doesn’t shut down the idea either.
“And then he had been forging this maybe-bond with Rey,” Driver says, “and it kind of ends with the question in the air: is he going to pursue that relationship, or when the door of her ship goes up, does that also close that camaraderie that they were maybe forming?”
Driver’s words definitely piques my interest. Could we end up getting a Shakespearean romance between Rey and Ren? Would Rey have to end up killing Ren after failing to bring him back to the light? December can’t come any sooner!
