“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams has finally confirmed fans’ suspicions that the character on the movie poster sporting a large pair of dark goggles is indeed Lupita Nyong’o‘s Maz Kanata.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Abrams revealed that Kanata has been hiding in plain sight all along, and that the phrase she says in the TV spot reveals more about the character than initially thought.
“I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people,” the voice says in the spot. “I see your eyes. I know your eyes.”
“I had some specific ideas about how she would work and what she would do,” Abrams said. “I had this pitch about these goggles that she wore. Her eyes are an important aspect of her character, and you’ll see how it plays out.”
Additionally, Abrams offered details on the character’s backstory and the castle in which she resides.
“Her history is that she was a pirate for a long time,” the director said. “She’s lived over a thousand years. She’s had this watering hole for about a century, and it’s like another bar that you’d find in a corner of the ‘Star Wars’ universe.”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opens on Dec. 18.