February marks a decade since it was first reported by Variety that Adam Driver would join the cast of the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode VII as a character "in the vein of iconic villain Darth Vader.” That character turned out to be Kylo Ren, a powerful dark side user with a moral complexity and ties to the past. Kylo Ren ultimately follows a similar path to Darth Vader by turning on the light before meeting his demise, but Driver recently shared that wasn't always the plan.
In a recent interview, Driver shared that Kylo Ren was initially set to embark on a path that would've been the opposite of Darth Vader's, with the character slipping more and more into darkness. While plans changed along the way during the development of the sequel trilogy, Driver was still able to elevate Kylo Ren to an iconic villain on the level of other franchise standouts.
Adam Driver Delivered the Strongest Sequel Trilogy Performance
Driver, like most of the sequel trilogy's new faces, wasn't the star he is today. Driver was best known for this work on the HBO series, Girls, and had a unique look to him that didn't resemble a traditional movie star. What Driver had was a presence with his tall stature and intensity that evoked Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker performance in the prequels and so much more.
The sequel trilogy features the strongest performances out of any Star Wars trilogy thanks to casting director Nina Gold and the direction of J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson. Driver delivered the most memorable because of his major role in the trilogy as the villain and because of his command of the character. Driver was able to embody Darth Vader performers James Earl Jones and David Prowse. Driver also shared incredibly emotional scenes with Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker, while building a strong rapport with Daisy Ridley's Rey. Driver was never able to share the screen with Carrie Fisher, but their emotional connection was still felt, in part because of his strong performance.
In addition to delivering an entertaining intensity, Driver briefly embodied the charm of Han Solo once Ben Solo turned back to the light side. Driver was versatile in the role of Kylo Ren by also displaying vulnerability in his scenes with Rey in The Last Jedi. Driver had a lot to work with and delivered on all accounts. Driver even revisited the role outside the sequels in a comedic manner with the recurring Saturday Night Live Matt the Radar Technician skits, further cementing the characters' place in the zeitgeist.
Adam Driver Sold Kylo Ren’s Awesome Design
Driver's strong performance wasn't the only thing that made Kylo Ren iconic. A major reason so many Star Wars characters remain engrained within pop culture is partially due to their designs. With Kylo Ren, the first thing that stands out is his cross-bladed lightsaber never before seen in live-action Star Wars prior. Kylo Ren also sported a helmet similar to Darth Vader's, but with its unique features that fit the character perfectly well. There's a reason why Lucasfilm plastered Kylo Ren's appearance on all The Force Awakens merchandise.
Kylo Ren also resembles another notable Star Wars character: Revan. The two are similar in some ways with their back and forth between the light and dark side of The Force. However, Kylo Ren's look was inspired by The Knights of the Old Republic figure with a hooded and masked appearance. Driver would go on to spend less time behind the mask in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, but when he did don the mask, it never hindered his performance. There are plenty of underdeveloped and background Star Wars characters with awesome designs, and Kylo Ren is certainly not one of them.
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