Star Wars: The Last Jedi's "broom boy" speaks out about not appearing in The Rise of Skywalker
"I guess I kind of understand why it happened"
Remember Broom Boy? It's hard to forget. Star Wars: The Last Jedi – which no longer holds the crown of most controversial Star Wars movie release (so far) – ended on a shot of a young boy using the Force to bring a broom to his hand. The moment signified how anyone could be a Jedi, obliterating the notion that only Skywalkers and Palpatines were important in this story.
As we all know now, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker did not deliver on the promise of that last shot. Rey, it turns out, was related to a Sith Lord all along, and Broom Boy never showed up to save the day.
Temirlan Blaev – who played the character (named Temiri Blagg after the actor) – has since spoken about not reappearing in the Skywalker saga, revealing that, while filming The Last Jedi, he was unsure whether his appearance was a symbolic role or if he was meant to return to be trained by Rey.
"I wasn’t sure because, yes, he would’ve continued my story, how Rey would have trained me or helped me in some way," Blaev said while appearing on Jamie Stangroom's YouTube Channel. "But then, at the same time, am I really that important? Am I someone big or am I really just a boy – a lucky boy – in a galaxy far, far away?"
Talking about being asked to return, he said: "A lot of people were asking me [about returning], and I said, 'We’ll have to wait and see if I get called back.' But I guess I kind of understand why it happened."
Whether Broom Boy will once again wield the force on screens or will simply be a symbol of hope at the end of The Last Jedi, it remains to be seen. Either way, Blaev's OK about it and can be seen in season 3 of Killing Eve. For more Star Wars content, check out our pieces on:
- How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
- The best Star Wars movies, ranked!
- Every upcoming Star Wars movie
- The Star Wars timeline explained
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Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.