10 Most Unusual Demands By Star Wars Actors
6. To Have Major Creative Input On His Character, Chirrut Îmwe - Donnie Yen
Star Wars is such a gargantuan cinematic enterprise that even the biggest actor generally appreciates they're just a cog in the machine, with their own personal creative input being strictly limited.
Exceptions can be made, though, as was the case with martial arts legend Donnie Yen, who played blind warrior Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One.
Yen was initially reluctant to take the part and spend five months away from his family shooting in London, though was swayed by director Gareth Edwards' permissive, collaborative approach on developing Yen's character.
Yen said, "When you hire me, you're not just getting an actor - you are getting a choreographer, a director," and asked Edwards to let him take the reins on forming Îmwe into more than he seemed on the page.
Edwards agreed, giving Yen the latitude to help shape the character, including suggesting that he be blind, as is perhaps the single most unique and memorable aspect of the character.
While many actors' eagerness to be creatively involved can come off as excessively grasping for control, in this case Yen - a storyteller as much as he is an action star - clearly had some smart instincts for the character.