Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (2024)

Ahead of the premiere of the new Star Wars series The Acolyte on Thursday evening, actress Dafne Keen already knew the game she wanted to play. Having grown up something of a Star Wars fan herself, she knew the Easter eggs fans would recognize anywhere—and decided to weave a handful into her red carpet look. Keen and stylist Cher Coulter pulled a taupe-hued Acne Studios gown inspired by the sand dunes of Tatooine, accented with “industrial-looking” silver jewelry that Keen likened to the “machinery of a spaceship.” But her hairstyle would serve as the crown jewel: Keen selected an intricate braid worn by Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, during the scene when Padmé first meets a young Anakin Skywalker. “It felt like a really nice homage to Padmé, who was character that I grew up with and I loved,” Keen says.

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (1)

On the carpet last night, Keen was practically unrecognizable, at least when compared to her character in The Acolyte. As the half-alien Jecki Lon—Jedi Padawan to Lee Jung-jae’s Sol during the peak of the High Republic, when the Jedi are practically untouchable—Keen is perpetually coated in white paint and dotted with tiny horns. But even fans familiar with her older work—particularly her star-making turn as young mutant X-23 in the 2017 X-Men film Logan—saw a transformed Keen at the premiere. Having began her acting career at 9 years old, the now 19-year-old Keen feels the change herself. “I’m really excited for people to get to know me a bit better,” she says. “I’m very private about my life, and I still want to remain that way, but there’s so much about me that I haven’t been able to share because I was so young. I was a child, and now I’m free to express myself a bit more.”

Ahead, the actress offers a sneak peek at what to expect in The Acolytewhich premieres on Disney+ on June 4and how her red carpet style has evolved.

Do you feel, after these 10 years, any desire to step out or step away from the spotlight that’s been put on you, now that you’ve joined multiple massive cinematic universes? Or do you feel you’re just getting started?

I think, for me, the spotlight is kind of the side effect to what I love. If I could act without having to have a public persona, that would be really cool, but that’s just not how the world works. I like to do projects that I feel passionate about, and I feel very passionate about this, and I felt very passionate about Logan, and I felt very passionate about His Dark Materials. I’m happy to keep acting. I’m excited to do more action films. I did my first horror film at the beginning of the year, and that was really fun. I’m excited to maybe try comedy. I’m excited to do really gritty dramas. I’m just excited to sink my teeth into as many different characters as possible. I feel like I’m just getting started, and I want to, maybe, move into the world of directing and writing. Film is the love of my life.

What about The Acolyte? You said that this is a project you felt passionate about, but why this particular type of Star Wars story and this particular character?

I think I saw a lot of me within [Jecki Lon]—in her kind of perfectionism, and how hard she is on herself. Also, she was such a different character from Lyra and Laura and Anna; it was really fun to play this much more constrained, put-together person. That was a challenge for me because I’m not used to that. I’m used to playing very wild, kind of feral characters.

You’re almost unrecognizable in this half-alien makeup. How did that impact not only your performance, but your own sense of yourself in this role?

It completely changed how I played her. When I read [the script], Jecki was going to be a very different character. And then as soon as I found myself in the makeup and the costume, she became something completely different. She was originally going to be much harsher and colder and distant, and then as soon as I found myself in her skin, she was much softer, more sensitive, and just curious and excited about everything. The makeup was transformative—inside, as well as outside. It completely transformed my way of working, in a way.

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (4)

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (5)

What can you tell me about the experience of playing a Jedi Padawan in an era where the Jedi are thriving? So much of what we’ve seen in the other films and shows either takes place after the fall of the Jedi, or leading up to their demise.

It was really fun creatively because we had freedom—obviously within what we knew from the literature that there is about the High Republic. It was really freeing to have that space to investigate and create something new and fresh that the fans wanted. We were also excited to be investigating a time when the Jedi are at the height of their power, and they’re almost naive to the dangers that are around them because they’re so used to not having any dangers. It was fun to play a character like that. For example, from the physical sense: [Jecki] is completely fight-trained, but she’s not really alert, because why would she need to be alert?

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (6)

How has your approach to red carpet fashion evolved over the past 10 years, and especially as you’ve aged into adulthood?

My relationships to red carpets have been very different as I’ve grown up. My first red carpet, I had a horrible time. I was 9, and I was terrified; it was really daunting. No one wants to dress you as a kid because it’s boring. No brands lend to kids. There are no brands with kids clothes, so every stylist was always like, “No,” which was funny. When I was much younger, my mom and I would go to shops, and we’d try something on and buy it and not take the tag off, and then we’d return it the next day. My first red carpet, that’s what we did, which is not ethically right, but... [Laughs.]

I was a very weird kid. [One of my] favorite films was Some Like It Hot. I was obsessed with Cyd Charisse’s costume in Singing in the Rain in the dream sequence. I love Katharine Hepburn’s suits. Those were my fashion icons, and as a 9-year-old, no one’s going to dress you like that. I was really annoyed that the clothes I wanted to be wearing I couldn’t wear yet and there were no really cool clothes for me.

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (7)

I was much more of a tomboy out of the fact that I couldn’t be wearing those dresses yet. I found it quite difficult to find my traditional femininity, in a way, which I think, as I’ve grown up, I’ve found much more.

I’m a performer, so, for me, the red carpet is also a form of performance. The moment I discovered that I enjoyed [red carpets] was when I was like, “Oh, this is a part of it. This is a part of the performance. I’m selling the film now, and the way I’m going to sell the film is I’m going to dress up.” It’s really fun to have a stylist who understands that I want to be involved in it. I don’t just want to be a little doll that you dress up.

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (8)

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Styling by Cher Coulter; hair by Johnnie Sapong; make up by Yasmin Istanbouli.

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (9)

Lauren Puckett-Pope

Culture Writer

Lauren Puckett-Pope is a staff culture writer at ELLE, where she primarily covers film, television and books. She was previously an associate editor at ELLE.

Dafne Keen on 'The Acolyte,' Introducing Jecki Lon, and Her Padmé-Inspired Red Carpet Look (2024)

FAQs

What species is Jecki Lon? ›

Jecki Lon is a Theelin-human hybrid similar to Rystáll Sant, the singer and dancer introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi Special Edition. The Theelin are a humanoid sentient species that can copulate with humans and produce hybrids such as Jecki and Rystáll.

Is Dafne Keen going to be in Star Wars? ›

After a small but impactful role on the latest Star Wars show, The Acolyte, Dafne Keen just showed up in the new trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, reprising her role from Logan.

Who plays the Padawan in The Acolyte? ›

After previously working with creator Leslye Headland on her hit series Russian Doll, Barnett was thrilled to collaborate again, this time as the Jedi Knight Yord Fandar. “I want to work with her forever,” Barnett tells StarWars.com. Dafne Keen, who plays Padawan Jecki Lon, echoes his sentiment.

Did Jecki Lon survive? ›

The Acolyte's fifth episode featured the shocking deaths of fan-favorite characters like Jedi Knight Yord Fandar and the Padawan Jecki Lon. The episode also finally unmasked the identity of The Stranger who had been training Mae to kill several Jedi—Qimir, Mae's slimy partner in crime.

Who kills Jecki? ›

The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland confirms how the death of Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) in episode 5, "Night", challenges the expectations of modern Star Wars. The Jedi Padawan is killed by Qimir (Manny Jacinto), a Sith Lord also known as the Stranger, in the devastating episode.

What is Dafne Keen's ethnicity? ›

Keen was born in Madrid. Her parents are English actor Will Keen, and Spanish actress and director María Fernández Ache. Her paternal great-grandfather was Edward Curzon, 6th Earl Howe. Her aunts are poet Alice Oswald and writer Laura Beatty.

Who is the 4th sister Star Wars? ›

"But that is who you are." "There is no way out, is there?" The Fourth Sister, formerly known as Lyn Rakish, was a Force-sensitive humanoid female member of the Inquisitorius during the Imperial Era.

Is there a girl in Star Wars? ›

Rey is introduced as a scavenger who was abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku. She becomes an ally of the Resistance in its conflict with the First Order. Powerfully Force-sensitive, Rey trains to be a Jedi under the siblings Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.

Who was the Padawan in Acolyte? ›

Apprenticed to Master Sol at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Jecki Lon was a Padawan with a deep appreciation for the rules and regulations that governed the galaxy. The studious Lon enjoyed Lightsaber form drills and helping to enforce the rules governing The High Republic.

Who is the black girl in The Acolyte? ›

The Star Wars universe is expanding with the highly anticipated series “The Acolyte,” set to debut this June on Disney+. This groundbreaking show explores a new era in the Star Wars timeline and features two talented Black actresses, Amandla Stenberg and Jodie Turner-Smith, in major roles.

Did Jackie have a crush on Osha? ›

The Acolyte: Dafne Keen Confirms Jecki Lon Has Feelings for Osha - IMDb. The Acolyte star Dafne Keen recently confirmed that her character Jecki Lon has romantic feelings for another main character in the series.

What kind of alien is Jecki? ›

Jecki Lon was a Theelin-human hybrid Jedi Padawan who lived during the High Republic Era in 132 BBY.

What species is Jackie from Acolyte? ›

Jecki Lon is one of the main characters in the live-action Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte. She is a female Theelin-human hybrid and a Jedi apprentice during the High Republic era who finds herself involved in a plot against the Jedi.

What species is jixtus? ›

A Grysk male known as "Jixtus" who was at least twenty-one years old and was the coordinator of the Grysk warlike species, he led a Grysk fleet from his flagship, the Shatter-class WarMaster FateSpinner.

What race is Jackie in The Acolyte? ›

Summary. The Acolyte introduces Dafne Keen as Jecki Lon, a part-Theelin, part-human Jedi Padawan. Jecki Lon was Master Sol's Padawan, and she accompanied him on the mission to Khofar.

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