Though it’s been a divisive year for Star Wars (as it often is), LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is already one of the most underrated and best projects in the franchise in recent years. Starring Gaten Matarazzo in the lead role, the series also saw the return of Mark Hamill to voice Luke Skywalker, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Matthew Wood as General Grievous, and Ahmed Best as the long-awaited Darth Jar Jar, with many, many more surprise cameos.
In animated LEGO format, the four-episode series follows Matarazzo’s character, Sig Greebling, as he discovers an artifact that completely changes the Star Wars universe fans have come to know and love. Iconic heroes and villains swap places, and Sig must go on an adventure to try and restore order and be a savior to the galaxy. Rebuild the Galaxy is off to a hot start, seeing an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes following its release, with Rafael Motamayor of IGN writing, “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy has one of the best uses of the multiverse we’ve seen in a while, with enough funny and wacky cameos to appeal to every kind of fan of the franchise.”
We recently spoke to Matarazzo, who shot to fame following the enormous success of Stranger Things as he took on the role of Dustin. He discussed joining the Star Wars franchise, which has always been a dream of his, along with what fans can expect from Stranger Things Season 5 and the potential major character deaths that could come with it.
Matarazzo Has Always Been a Fan of Star Wars
While some actors look at a role as a paycheck, joining the Star Wars franchise in a galaxy far, far away has always been a goal for Matarazzo. “It’s the ultimate dream… Star Wars is the reason that I have the love for cinema that I do,” he explained, adding:
It will always be my favorite franchise to ever exist… I think it’s objectively the most creative world-building experiment gone right. Just to be a part of it is unreal.
And don’t be confused; Matarazzo is a true superfan. That included Star Wars lunch boxes, bedsheets, and clothes. “For about a month, I walked around with a Padawan braid that my mom created for me, and I went as Obi-Wan Kenobi from Episode I for Halloween.” And like any true fan of the franchise, everything had to be perfect, down to the smallest detail. “I had a panic attack over the fact that I had Obi-Wan’s Episode III hilt and not his Episode I hilt because I had the Padawan braid.”
Gaten’s Favorite Star Wars Movie & Working with Mark Hamill
Of course, with a fan as big as Matarazzo, the discussion of his favorite Star Wars film would surely be interesting. “I think Empire Strikes Back is not only the best Star Wars movie but probably top five best movies ever made… But my favorite one, the one I had the most connection with, was Return of the Jedi. It’s the DVD that I had enough time to sneak into my room with my little DVD player I found in the attic. So when I was supposed to be sleeping, that’s the one movie that I would plug in and fall asleep to.”
With Mark Hamill returning to voice Luke, things couldn’t get much better for Matarazzo. He explained:
“There were rumors about Mark and rumors about Ahmed [Best], and I remember I would go in day to day, asking for updates, and they would confirm who signed on and who didn’t. I remember those were two of the ones that we were absolutely floored with; just so grateful that they wanted to be a part of this wonky project.”
During the lead-up to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder, who plays Joyce Byers in Stranger Things, discussed her frustration with younger audiences who don’t appreciate cinema as she used to. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the publication stated, “Ryder appreciates getting to interact with the up-and-coming generation of film lovers who remind her of herself, excitedly telling me how her ‘Stranger Things’ co-star Finn Wolfhard is obsessed with Elliott Gould. Still, she gets frustrated when there is a lack of curiosity among her more junior colleagues.”
Ryder shared her thoughts in the profile piece, saying, “I don’t mean to sound so hopeless, there are a few that are just not interested in movies. Like, the first thing they say is, ‘How long is it?’” However, in a constantly changing industry, Matarazzo can understand both sides of the debate. He injected:
“I would just love for young people to get into a love for film and art in general. You’re going to get the best things when you introduce this medium to young people. You’re going to be able to take what’s been done and then put their own twist on it. I’d love to see younger people getting in and enjoy it.”
Calling Boots Riley & LaKeith Stanfield
With two major franchises under his belt (in addition to his voice role in the Angry Birds franchise), Matarazzo is looking ahead at what’s next in his career following the nearly 10-year run of Stranger Things. “There are so many incredible directors that I’ve admired their work for so long. Boots Riley is a big one. I remember when Sorry to Bother You came out, I was floored by that project and how bold it was to go for something that intense and that experimental and succeed so well.”
Speaking of Sorry to Bother You, Matarazzo is also a fan of the man who led that film in 2018. “LaKeith Stanfield is also someone I’ve wanted to do some scene work with. My buddy Caleb [McLaughlin] is a friend of his and has very good things to say about him as a person, and, of course, he’s a very talented performer.”
And so is Gaten Matarazzo, and fans can see him star as Sig Greebling in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy now streaming on Disney+, and stay tuned for Stranger Things Season 5, which is expected to hit Netflix sometime in 2025.
