Adam Driver, the actor who plays the villain Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, had the opportunity to host the comedy show Saturday Night Live for their first 2016 show. He played in several skits that poked fun at his villainous character in the movie. As a result, fans are saying the actor is very endearing, a perhaps a little too comedic to be playing a villain.
One of the sketches showed Kylo Ren taking part in the hit reality TV show Undercover Boss . It showed a fictional depiction of the production, in which Kylo Ren goes undercover as a radar technician named Matt in order to see what it’s really like to work on Starkiller Base. “Matt” has dyed his hair blond and wears big glasses to hide who he really is.
The beginning of the sketch shows Kylo Ren at the beginning explaining why he’s going undercover.
“You get so caught up in restoring the galaxy to its rightful state that you miss what’s going on behind the scenes. I’m looking forward to having some real talk with some real folks.”
Throughout the skit, we see Ren talking with some of the other base employees, fishing for compliments and failing at a few basic tasks. At one point, he’s seen eating lunch with a Stormtrooper and battle general, asking what they think of Kylo Ren’s determination to “finish what Darth Vader started.”
The general, who is “90 percent sure that Matt is Kylo Ren,” panders to his question, and sees an opportunity for an in. He tells Kylo Ren how difficult it’s been since he and his wife lost their son in the Stormtrooper program.
“Hearing that Zach lost his son really struck a nerve with me,” Ren told the camera. “Especially since I’m the one who killed him.”
Later, we see Ren fishing for compliments on his alleged “eight pack,” and settling the resulting dispute using the force. By the end of the sketch, we see a softer side to Ren. “I had a blast today,” he tells the camera at the end when he’s donned his mask and black regime once again. “I really learned a lot and people are going to love the new me.”
Fans loved the sketch, particularly the way Ren maintains his “violent intensity” throughout the sketch. It really worked to show the many conflicting sides of the character, both his light and dark side.
Adam Driver also had the opportunity to host SNL , showing his extremely endearing and kind personality. Before his short career as an actor began, he was in the military serving his country.
As the show goes on, we see Driver playing a sports announcer in the NFL, noting some especially grotesque violence on the field. He also does a bit in which he plays Aladdin on the magic carpet, next to the Arabian princess Jasmine. We get to hear him sing in between a few awkward moments when Jasmine gets hit by a bird, and several other flying objects, and the two talk about their relationship.
Next, we see an episode of “America’s Funniest Cats” with Adam Driver as the host, followed by Driver and Cecily Strong playing speakers for an anti-bullying campaign. He even takes a shot at the Golden Globes and more.
Throughout each of these hilarious skits, it becomes clear that perhaps Driver’s true calling is actually comedy. Watching him in each of these skits, it’s hard to believe that he could play such a ruthless villain as Kylo Ren.
Although, some fans believe that perhaps we’re looking a precursor to Ren’s true character as someone who isn’t nearly as dark as he thinks he is. Driver explained a similar theory to Daily Telegraphduring an interview.
“I feel there’s a recklessness about him that’s maybe not normally associated with the dark side. You normally think of order, and structure, and full commitment and no hesitation … he’s just a little bit more unpolished. It’s in his costume, in his lightsaber – how you kind of get the sense that it could just not work at any moment; that it could just blow up. That’s kind of like a big metaphor for him.”
If Kylo Ren is going to turn into a big softie like his grandfather, perhaps Adam Driver, the closet comedian, is the right choice for the part after all.
[Image via Christopher Jue/Getty Images]