![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonniegrrl
Jesse Alexander: Appreciating the "Heroes" of Star Wars
Words: Bonnie Burton
SOURCE: Starwars.com
As a writer and producer for such hit shows as "Alias," "Lost," and "Heroes," Jesse Alexander is not only one of the geek elite on the Hollywood scene today, but an avid Star Wars fan. Alexander took time out to chat with Starwars.com about his love for the Star Wars franchise, the origins of transmedia, the collectibles he'd save in a fire, playing it cool around Carrie Fisher, his childhood visit to ILM, why he'll never make fun of Porkins and which "Heroes" character he thinks is most like Luke Skywalker.
What was your first introduction to Star Wars
I remember when I was 10 years old seeing the commercial on TV and getting a glimpse of the lightsaber fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan; and then some footage of a TIE fighter shooting at the Falcon. I was completely blown away. I couldn't figure out what it was. I was fascinated by something I wasn't sure what I had seen. My father later took me to Grauman's Chinese Theater to see Star Wars in 1977 shortly after it opened. The theater was so crowded that we couldn't sit next to each other, so as a 10-year-old I was kind of freaked out that I was in a strange city in a theater and I had to sit away from my dad. But then watching this amazing movie energized my life creatively and helped me become the person I am today.
When you went home did you immediately draw the characters, write your own stories, and play out your favorite scenes with your toys?
Absolutely! The challenge for all of us who were part of that first generation of Star Wars kids that even though George Lucas had a vision of creating a property with merchandise to support it, there was nothing coming out yet to the stores. We were all obsessed! I was into drawing so I would sketch out TIE fighter and X-wing battles, and stick figure lightsaber duels constantly.
At the time I was also into making Super-8 movies with all my friends. That was the way I expressed myself as a super geek. So me and my friends would make our own Star Wars films and got really ambitious with what we were trying to do with effects. We turned our parents' cars into spaceships. It really expanded the way I envisioned how I could be creative with the tools that I have within my grasp.
When you were using your toys to act out scenes and make new Star Wars tales, which toys were your favorites to cast in roles?
I was so into hunting down and collecting the toys that some of my most critical Star Wars memories revolve around getting to the toy store in Santa Barbara, the town where I grew up. When I saw that landspeeder on the shelf, I couldn't believe it when I had it in my hands. That landspeeder was so well-made as a toy and beautifully lived up to its potential. It still has a place of honor on my shelf of toys. I look at that toy so fondly not only for the memories it gave me but for the ideas of what was possible in terms of bringing a piece of mythology into the physical world. And I definitely miss my Imperial Troop Transport which had the sound effects in it. That for me was an iconic toy because it was Expanded Universe before that concept even really existed. The fact that it had sound effects and an amazing design that felt like it really was part of the Star Wars universe made it really stand out. They have one for sale at a store near me and I look at it constantly and think about picking it up. But I'll have to win the lottery to allow myself to get it.
Jesse Alexander's Star Wars collection
What's the one item in your current collection you'd save if your house was on fire?
Most Star Wars fans have probably thought about this question. I would probably grab the landspeeder and my Han Solo blaster. And there's a Luke Skywalker figure that's an Early Bird Special vintage I would save, plus the plush Chewbacca I used to sleep with as a little kid. I'd also save my Harrison Ford autograph that I got as a kid. I wrote him a fan letter and I got a picture of him and someone wrote a signature with a thank you note. I just loved it whether it was real or not.
I'm really thinking of this as "How can I fill my arms as I flee the fire?" If I can carry one item, I can carry three! (laughs)
The key is probably to keep all your prized items in one spot close to the door in case of emergency. I wonder how Steve Sansweet would save his collection?
That guy is screwed. If Rancho Obi-Wan goes up in flames, forget it. I love watching the Visit to Rancho Obi-Wan videos on StarWars.com! I'd love to see his collection in person. So far I've just been to the Lucasfilm Archives at Skywalker, which I consider to be a highlight of my career. It was awesome to see the early prototypes of the ships like the TIE fighter mockups that had been cobbled together out of construction paper, Styrofoam and cardboard. But walking around the Ranch was great. That whole place came out of the vision of one person who wanted a place for all creative people to come and work on their craft.
Did you get to ride on one of the rickety Skywalker Ranch bikes?
Are you kidding? Of course I did! I got up super early and rode around the Ranch all by myself. Set up my camera and took pictures of myself in front of the buildings and next to Ewok Lake. I was going to be there for 48 hours and I planned on getting every bit of enjoyment out of this experience.
Considering your on-going appreciation for Star Wars collectibles, how did your video review for Gizmodo of the Hasbro's 2.5-foot Star Wars Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon come about?
Brian Lam at Gizmodo approached J.J. Abrams, who is a very good friend of mine, and J.J. punted it in my direction. I was more than happy to dive in. And Brian just sent it to me with the idea that I would just write something about it. But I got it and it was so beautiful, so I tried to do some unboxing photographs, then take some of my action figures and put them in there. I ended up doing the video review just for the fun of it. I love that stuff so much. I enjoy the toys and the expanded world and all these other products as a fan, but I also appreciate and learn from them as a creative professional trying to see how Lucasfilm continues to extend their brand.
What do you think of fan culture now as opposed to back when you were a kid?
It was such a different time back then. Now with the Internet, you can reconnect with fans from that era and share experiences and information. But back then geek culture was so distributed and we really didn't have a way to connect with each other. Certainly there were conventions here and there, but there really wasn't that immediate way to build a community. There's an amazing store in Santa Monica called Whimsicalley that's all Harry Potter stuff, and it's the greatest place ever. They have beautiful sweaters, shirts, scarves and wands. And just to think how far we've come in fan culture with creative products and how were immerse ourselves in those properties. If something like Star Wars had popped today it would really be amazing to see how the fans would embrace it. Harry Potter is an example of what the modern-day version of something like Star Wars hits geek culture when it really needs it.
Lucasfilm seems to have embraced the concept of "transmedia" early on with the concept of the Expanded Universe of video games, card games, role-playing games, comics, and novels in addition to the movies.
There was little information out there at the time, and obviously we didn't have the Web yet, so trying to learn more about this world, this universe and this movie -- to immerse ourselves in it -- was very challenging in those early days. The feeling of wanting to be part of a mythology is something that has shaped the way I approach the work that I do -- creating and fleshing out these media properties that I've been involved with to make sure that the fans can have an authentic, organic and immersive experience that allows them to enjoy shows like "Heroes" and "Lost" however and whenever they want to experience it.
At that time I don't think people really understood that type of approach, but Lucas did, as did the people that he had working with him at Lucasfilm. They got how to build a property that fans could enjoy in so many ways. It seemed like there was a real vision in how that was going to happen in those early days. What Lucas, and everyone else at Lucasfilm, has done in terms of transmedia exploitation of properties has set the benchmark for everyone who's trying to do well in that space.
Jesse Alexander's Star Wars collection
So who are some of your favorite Star Wars characters?
Han Solo was always my favorite, but I liked all the characters. Some people might call Luke a whiner, but I never saw him as that. Luke was terrific and cool, but Han was the bad boy and he had Chewie as his best pal. And then with Boba Fett being introduced in the Holiday Special, he was someone who grabbed my attention as well. He was a man of few words. But I also connected with Wedge because I could be him! I could be part of it as Wedge. I'm there, and helping the Rebellion, and surviving. I even liked Porkins!
Really, Porkins?
It's hard for me to embrace the humor about him. I do take it seriously, and I have lightened up in a lot of ways. But I can't make fun of Porkins. Come on, he gave his life for the Rebellion. You're gonna make fun of the fat guy who died over the Death Star? If you want to be one of those guys, fine. Be that way.
Ouch. On a lighter note, what's the funniest scene to you in the films?
It has to be the celebration at the end of Return of the Jedi when Leia came out dressed like she was going to a Renaissance Pleasure Fair and gave out hugs. And I was like, "What the hell just happened?!" That for me was a very maturing moment in terms of growing up and realizing that maybe the films were catering to kids and not me anymore.
So that celebration ending was worse for you than the one at the end of A New Hope?
A New Hope is a great movie for a gazillion reasons. And a lot of that is because they were constricted in terms of time and budget. And with the footage that they had a lot of scenes were cut really tight in a way that made you want more and not less. That is something that you see happening to a lot of properties and their creators after their first success that they're given more creative freedom and expanded budgets, they lose some discipline. The Matrix, I loved like crazy, but then they went off the rails on the following films. As a creator, I guess can't really fault them for doing what they wanted to do, but the process of filmmaking is very often enhanced by checks and balances in a process.
Considering how easy it is for filmmakers to make a misstep with a sequel, it's interesting that The Empire Strikes Back always ends up as the best example of what to do right in regards to making a great second film within a young franchise.
I love Empire! One of the amazing things about Empire was that it was delegated in a great way to director Irvin Kershner and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan. That was a cool way to go in terms of telling the story that Lucas wanted to tell, but giving over some power to other people to interpret it. Empire had a unique style to it. I was lucky enough as a kid to see the film before it was release. My dad had made some documentary films with a guy who had done sound with American Zoetrope who had a friend who worked at ILM. So back in the day when they were making Empire and Raiders of the Lost Ark I got to go to ILM when it was at Kerner in this out-of-the-way place. And I remember walking around and watching them shoot motion control shots and see their filmmaking process. I was so excited to be there. I found out Darth Vader was Luke's father before everyone else, which was pretty killer!
Since you work on shows like "Heroes" and have such a strong connection to the idea of the Hero's Journey, what do you think makes for a compelling hero, or villain for that matter?
Both heroes and villains need the same thing. They need an internal drive or motivation that powers them, and gives them the strength to confront obstacles that are put in their way. They need to have some kind of flaw or a challenging situation in their life that really prevents them from getting what they want and living up to their full potential. Both heroes and villains need to have that desire be something that's relatable to anyone watching. Darth Vader in the first film was really that obstacle to Luke, and then when you saw Vader battle Obi-Wan you saw there was a past to this guy that made him more complex. And that went a long way in making him scary and somewhat relatable.
When I'm reading new material from writers who are submitting stories, very often they will create the ultimate secret agent living the ultimate secret agent life and I have to ask, why would I care about that character? How is that interesting? What will make me root for that character? That's something we really paid attention to on "Alias" where we have this young woman named Sydney who is a very competent spy but her emotional life was very challenging. So she had that drive, but then she had that flaw and emotional complexity that made the audience care.
Often times it seems that a character's quirks, or even their complex back stories, can make an audience take a more vested interest in where that character is going next.
Absolutely. I love how that shorthand of that was done in the original trilogy. Whether or not the Star Wars prequels needed to show us those histories is interesting.
Are there any characters in "Heroes" that remind you of Star Wars characters.
Peter Petrelli is very much a character who is very much dealing with the light side and the dark side of his powers, and who he is and who he wants to be. There certainly is a Luke Skywalker analogy there. So much of what we've done with Peter, and Peter in the future, as well as with the character Hiro Nakamura as well, both of those would drop very easily in the Star Wars mythology.
Because those are such archetypical characters, every show I've worked on has a Darth Vader character, or Han Solo moment, or a Luke Skywalker realization. The language of heroic myth from Joseph Campbell that Lucas gave to a broad audience is used by so many creative types in Hollywood.
Considering your background as an executive producer on "Heroes" have you ever got to rub elbows with some of your childhood movie icons from Star Wars?
A while back I got to go to this crazy party that Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the richest guys in the world, was throwing. We were flown to the south of France, where we were put up at the Hotel Du Cap and we partied at this guy's house for a weekend, and Carrie Fisher was there! It was the greatest! It was me and Carrie Fisher and David Geffen paling around for the weekend. And I never once brought up Star Wars to her. I couldn't believe I was hanging out with her.
That's a pretty surreal way to spend a weekend. How did you resist the urge to geek out about Star Wars in front of her?
You know why I didn't? She clearly has a shtick that she does that she did for other people there who were not playing it as cool as I was. They were freaking out and asking her to do Star Wars lines. So she did her story about likeness rights and the General Kenobi speech and so on.
Jesse Alexander's Star Wars collection
Why do you think people look to Star Wars for inspiration?
The Star Wars films and mythology really inspired and touched a lot of young, creative people. As we've grown up in the industry Star Wars is one of our touch points. When we're breaking story in the writers' rooms in all the shows I've worked on very often we're referencing the beats in the Star Wars movie to immediately convey what we're looking for in a certain story we're working on. The writers who I got to work with on "Alias" were hardcore fans, so all of us would be riffing on Star Wars plot points all day and would inform what we were doing on the show. There's even a scene in "Alias" that I wrote when Jack Bristow, who was Sydney's father, is referencing some technical thing and I had him do the dialog from Empire where "there's plenty of time to move the T-47s" and all this specific tech dialog that only die-hard people remember. Who knows if anyone even noticed it?
When I interviewed J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof about how much Star Wars had influenced their work on "Lost" and "Alias," it amazed me that the movies not only get referenced quite a bit on their shows, but also play an important role in the friendships made on the set.
Exactly! I remember when I was on my way to have that first meeting with Damon and I saw him walking down the hall wearing his Bantha Tracks shirt, I ran up and said "Dude!" and hugged him. We were close friends from that moment. That is such a critical moment when you think about how much Star Wars connects people. They give such a shorthand of common experience that allow people who don't know each other to instantly connect over something they both love. It gives people something exciting and positive to talk about, and bond over. That's why I'm so excited to work on franchise shows like "Heroes" that have a global reach and bring people together over a common, shared experience.
Read more about Alexander's work as well as his thoughts on transmedia on his bog -- The Global Couch. Tune into "Heroes" on Monday nights on CBS.
Check out our Star Wars Rocks Archive for more interviews from some of your favorite bands and celebrities
SOURCE: Starwars.com
