As the most dashing Latino pilot in the Star Wars universe, Oscar Isaac seems most at ease cracking a joke. During the Episode IX panel at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, moderator Stephen Colbert brought this up to the Guatemalan actor: why did his character Poe Dameron seem to always deliver lines even in the most dangerous of situations? Did he take anything seriously? That’s when, revealing perhaps where Poe gets his own sense of humor, a bearded Isaac delivered the kind of comedic line that had the audience roaring in laughter: “I think he takes his love for Finn very seriously,” he quipped. But while the ever-charming actor had jokes aplenty (he admitted Poe can literally pilot anything, making him perfect for “Space Uber” or “Space Lyft” once the wars are over), he also some more serious words to share.
Poe may not have special powers — he’s only a really good pilot — but he’s deeply human. And, he added, “One of the most human things you can do is find the irony and the humanity in the craziest and darkest moments.” Further, in case anyone missed what he was getting at, Isaac added that “Humor is an element of the Force.” That very same sense of humor came in handy when Colbert, perhaps hoping he could make the token Latino on stage speak in Spanish for all to hear, asked him point-blank: “How would you describe Poe, or this film, in Spanish?” Without missing a beat Isaac deadpanned: “Well, it’s just like this. Only in Spanish.”
He did indulge Colbert’s curiosity by joking that Star Wars in Spanish is actually “Estar Guars.“ Or, he corrected himself, the more accurate La guerra de las galaxias. He also noted that the two fan-favorite droids that were on stage with the entire cast of Episode IX, now officially titled, The Rise of Skywalker, have their own Spanish nicknames: Bebocho (BB-8) and Arturito (R2-D2).
While he had to share the stage with director JJ Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and fellow actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran, Isaac later was interviewed alongside newcomer to Star Wars family Naomi Ackie out on the floor. Flanked by fans, there the actor got to more seriously grapple with what it means to be part of the concluding chapter of a 42-year saga. Isaac admitted that what he’ll most miss about shooting these films will be the camaraderie they’ve all built together. But that he’ll always cherish having had the chance to work with Princess Leia herself. Carrie Fisher, he said, showed him how to live fearless and without shame — within and outside that galaxy far far away.
Take a look at the entire Episode IX panel (which ended with the first teaser of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) below to see the first images of Poe Dameron and his dashing new pilot scarf.
