A interview with a padawan - Taylor Gray
March 2018
Dave
Dave got the chance to interview Taylor Gray (the actor who plays Ezra Bridger in the hit TV show Star Wars: Rebels) whilst at the Star Wars Fan Fun Day event in Burnley, UK, in May 2017. This interview was conducted whilst Taylor was a guest at the event and occurred after Season 3 had aired and just as Season 4 was beginning to be recorded.
Dave caught Taylor whilst he was providing autographs for fans who had travelled to the event…
Dave: Taylor Gray here has been very, very kind and agreed to do a very quick interview. So, Taylor, hi!
Taylor: Hi, how you doin' Dave?
D: I’m very good.
T: Its good to be here. Thanks for having me. I’m glad you guys are here, it’s good to talk to you guys.
D: No, no, thank you for spending your time, it’s very busy here today, and there’s a lot pf people coming for signatures. Is this the first one of these that you have been to?
T: Erm, actually, yeah. Really only done the ones through Lucasfilm, like Celebration, or A Star Wars Weekend. And I did one in New York, that was a small thing, I was shooting a movie out there and I went to one. But, this is the first one I have ever done in the UK.
D: What do you think of the UK? Have you been to the UK before?
T: Yeah, I have been to the UK before, but only down to London. I have never been up in this area, Manchester / Burnley, its been a blast!
D: Are you staying local?
T: Yeah, not far, we are at some hotel local, some hotel here in Burnley.
D: So, you play Ezra Bridger in Rebels. What’s it like to play what has become such an iconic part?
T: It’s amazing. I mean, you don’t know what to expect ever, so when we got this project, it was like “oh, wow, we’re jumping into Star Wars, this is a huge world and we’re just this little pebble, we’ll see what happens.” And now, seeing the reaction from fans and how people have come to this show, it’s been amazing (smiling)! There are families watch it, old fans of the films come to it, young kids who this is their first kind of foray into Star Wars, it’s amazing and it’s been so fun. And it’s really struck a chord, we’re so grateful for it.
D: I can imagine. It’s really taken off. Did you expect it to become as big as it has?
T: No. Not at all. And like, I didn’t know what to expect at all, and I wasn’t as familiar with Star Wars as I am now and seeing that this (gestures out to the event floor) was even possible, that it was a world this big. But like even this (reaching to grab a card next to us), like little notes that people are coming up and writing to me, it really has an effect on me that you are like, “wow”, this is unbelievable, I had no idea that this was going to be a thing. It’s been amazing, especially to see how everyone has reacted to it. It’s been really, really cool.
D: The whole cast of Rebels, when you see them on screen, when you see them at various different conventions, there seems to be a family, a spark between all of you. Is that for the fans, or is there more than that?
T: Oh, no, that’s a real thing, that’s how we all interact. As soon as they brought us all together we kind of gelled in that way, as it was. And everyone is very similar to their characters. So the way there is the same rapport between characters in the show, we kind of have that and it parallels to our reality, with the banter between Tiya (Tiya Sircar, who plays Sabine Wren in the show) and I, and the mentorship between Freddie (Freddie Prinze Jr, Kanan Jarrus in the show) and I. It’s been great to be a part of and the cast is so cool.
D: I must admit, from watching everything I have seen about them I would agree that they are.
T: Yeah (nodding)
D: So you are saying that, effectively, even off screen Hera and Kanan are your surrogate mother and father?
T: Yeah. Yeah, very much so. And they act like that, they do everything to take care of us and it’s funny and is exactly like parents would react to their children. And Freddie has really taken on that mentorship role, and being that as the padawan / master kind of thing. And Vanessa (Vanessa Marshall, Hera Syndulla in the show) is great, takes care of every single one of us in the booth, which is just like her and just like Hera.
D: That is nice to hear, that is. Really nice to hear. So, when did you get into acting? I know that you do live action acting and this is the first animation?
T: This is the first animated show I have ever done. And it’s been amazing. There’s been a learning curve to it, but it’s been such a blast. We have had a great time. Everything else I have done has been live action, and what I have been working on since Rebels has all I’ve been doing. This is amazing (gesturing expansively)!
D: It really is amazing, I agree. So, you initially got into live action and you have now gone into this, if you were to give any ideas to people or tips. You’ve effectively managed to become the dream come true for a lot of people.
T: Sure, yeah. You realise… how many people wannabe actors, it’s a huge thing. I was fortunate that, and I owe a lot to my parents, that I was able to fairly early on. I started acting when I was about thirteen and I think I did my first film… and then I have just been working since then. And it’s been, it’s the only thing I have ever done in my life as far as a job goes. So, it’s amazing. You forget how many people want to do this. And it’s so fun. You’ve gotta remember that err, we are very lucky and fortunate to work as actors and work on such cool shows.
D: Yes. For me, it would be the dream come true. It really would. To be involved in this. And I am certain a lot of people reading this are going to be thinking “I would want to try and get into that”. So, is it just perseverance, just keep trying?
T: That’s… its funny, because people ask every now and again, “what’s like a little tip, a little bit of advice for someone who wants to be an actor?” And I say, what I usually say is, “don’t take ‘no’ as an answer”, I’ve been told ‘no’ and been rejected so many times, it’s like having a glass of water, you know what I mean? You have to become unaffected by that because you are gonna be auditioned for a lot of things and you are gonna want to do a lot of different parts. But there will always be someone that looks a little bit more like ‘this’ or sounds a little bit more like ‘that’. So you just gotta keep doing it and doing it because you enjoy it, and eventually one ‘yes’ makes up for a thousand ‘nos’, which is amazing.
D: So, if you had to choose, would to choose darkness or light? Because you’ve bandied with…
T&D: Both…
T: (Hesitation) Dddaaaarrrk (nodding)…
D: D…d…d…ark?
T: Light (nodding)…. Dark. I like that bit in-between. That, that toying with both sides. You know what, dark.
D: Dark?
T: (Nodding) Dark.
D: Thank you very much for this. So, you have joined a group of actors who have had a massive impact on fan’s lives. From your own experiences which characters do you like in Star Wars?
T: Han, Han is my favourite Star Wars character ever.
D: I remember you saying that yesterday, it was my little boy that raised his hand and you answered his question (the day before Taylor had been on stage and had discussed what it was like to be part of Star Wars and he took some questions from the floor – my 10 year old son had asked Taylor a question).
T: Oh, really (nodding and smiling).
D: Yeah, I didn’t know he had his hand up and then I turned around and thought “oh, my god, what is he going to ask?” and then he asked such a nice question.
T: He asked a great question.
D: It was, and your response though was amazing. Because it was a very honest response. And you actually went around why you thought that character was so good. Thank you.
T: Oh, of course…
D: It made William’s day, it really did.
T: Those are the best questions. And kids get away with asking questions where you want to say more, and give them answers, and they are the ones who can get the spoilers out of you.
D: So what is your favourite Star War film?
T: Is Episode 4, A New Hope. But people react differently every time I say it, but… I don’t know, it was the very first one, it was so cool, and it was… I don’t… (struggling to explain what it means to him), its beautiful in how like ‘raw’ it is. And that is what made Star Wars, Star Wars and everything else kinda followed suit. I dunno, I love that film. And I love Episode 5 as well.
D: I have fallen in love with you even more for that response.
T: Amazing (looking slightly worried…).
D: That is my favourite film, and everyone always asks me, “well, why that one?”
T: Yeah (nodding and smiling again!).
D: It’s the one that made it.
T: Yeah, that’s right. And to hear the stories. Ah, like Dave Filoni, he’s told stories that are like, “if you watch that movie you will see extras laughing in the background”, because what they were doing, they thought it was a joke, this type of movie. It seems so… such a far cry from anything that would be cool. And then it turned out to be Star Wars, and then the next film had a huge budget and everyone is taking it seriously. It’s funny to see how one person had the vision and then (nodding).
D: It worked…
T: And then everyone then understood.
D: So what was your first memory of Star Wars?
T: Erm, its funny, I can think back to it now and I can remember being younger and everyone had Star Wars lunchpails (lunchboxes in the UK) or t-shirts and things like that… and, this isn’t anything against my parents, I just never had it or anything related to Star Wars. But I would go over to kids houses and they would have Star Wars memorabilia and movies on and everything and I remember asking my parents, “hey, can we watch these Star Wars movies, like everyone else knows about them?” And that was what got me to watch Episodes 4, 5 and 6. Erm, so I remember a specific time back then when I had a conversation with my mom saying, “yeah, I don’t know much about this, can we watch some of these movies?” And that was my first Star Wars experience.
D: Within Star Wars there are a number of well-known quotes and phrases. So from all of the Star Wars universe what is your favourite sound bite?
T: I mean, the cliché of saying, “May the Force be with you”, is pretty easy to go with, and pretty great. But, now having done the show, and learning everything about that line, and what it takes to say that line, and what that means: what the Force is. It does sound like this weird, pathetic cliché, but that is one of the greatest lines ever in cinema.
D: So what’s your favourite ship or vehicle of any type?
T: In Star Wars?
D: Sorry, yes, in Star Wars.
T: (Laughing) yes, errm (pause as he thinks). I mean, the Falcon.
D: The Falcon?
T: Yeah…
D: It trumps the Ghost, or the Phantom?
T: 100%. I mean, the Falcon like that is the coolest ship in Star Wars. Once again, that made Star Wars. There is no Ghost or Phantom without the Falcon as far as the ships go. Although the big walkers, when they’re on, um, Hoth. And they’re zipping around and tying them up with cables, that is pretty iconic and I loved those. And granted they are for the Imperial, but those are also very cool.
D: That’s about all of my questions, thank you very much…
T: Of course… thank you very much.
D: I really appreciate all of your time (gesturing out into the event floor), I’ll let you get back to your fans and your signings. Thank you very much for your time Taylor.
T: You got it Dave (reaches out to shake my hand).
Dave
Dave got the chance to interview Taylor Gray (the actor who plays Ezra Bridger in the hit TV show Star Wars: Rebels) whilst at the Star Wars Fan Fun Day event in Burnley, UK, in May 2017. This interview was conducted whilst Taylor was a guest at the event and occurred after Season 3 had aired and just as Season 4 was beginning to be recorded.
Dave caught Taylor whilst he was providing autographs for fans who had travelled to the event…
Dave: Taylor Gray here has been very, very kind and agreed to do a very quick interview. So, Taylor, hi!
Taylor: Hi, how you doin' Dave?
D: I’m very good.
T: Its good to be here. Thanks for having me. I’m glad you guys are here, it’s good to talk to you guys.
D: No, no, thank you for spending your time, it’s very busy here today, and there’s a lot pf people coming for signatures. Is this the first one of these that you have been to?
T: Erm, actually, yeah. Really only done the ones through Lucasfilm, like Celebration, or A Star Wars Weekend. And I did one in New York, that was a small thing, I was shooting a movie out there and I went to one. But, this is the first one I have ever done in the UK.
D: What do you think of the UK? Have you been to the UK before?
T: Yeah, I have been to the UK before, but only down to London. I have never been up in this area, Manchester / Burnley, its been a blast!
D: Are you staying local?
T: Yeah, not far, we are at some hotel local, some hotel here in Burnley.
D: So, you play Ezra Bridger in Rebels. What’s it like to play what has become such an iconic part?
T: It’s amazing. I mean, you don’t know what to expect ever, so when we got this project, it was like “oh, wow, we’re jumping into Star Wars, this is a huge world and we’re just this little pebble, we’ll see what happens.” And now, seeing the reaction from fans and how people have come to this show, it’s been amazing (smiling)! There are families watch it, old fans of the films come to it, young kids who this is their first kind of foray into Star Wars, it’s amazing and it’s been so fun. And it’s really struck a chord, we’re so grateful for it.
D: I can imagine. It’s really taken off. Did you expect it to become as big as it has?
T: No. Not at all. And like, I didn’t know what to expect at all, and I wasn’t as familiar with Star Wars as I am now and seeing that this (gestures out to the event floor) was even possible, that it was a world this big. But like even this (reaching to grab a card next to us), like little notes that people are coming up and writing to me, it really has an effect on me that you are like, “wow”, this is unbelievable, I had no idea that this was going to be a thing. It’s been amazing, especially to see how everyone has reacted to it. It’s been really, really cool.
D: The whole cast of Rebels, when you see them on screen, when you see them at various different conventions, there seems to be a family, a spark between all of you. Is that for the fans, or is there more than that?
T: Oh, no, that’s a real thing, that’s how we all interact. As soon as they brought us all together we kind of gelled in that way, as it was. And everyone is very similar to their characters. So the way there is the same rapport between characters in the show, we kind of have that and it parallels to our reality, with the banter between Tiya (Tiya Sircar, who plays Sabine Wren in the show) and I, and the mentorship between Freddie (Freddie Prinze Jr, Kanan Jarrus in the show) and I. It’s been great to be a part of and the cast is so cool.
D: I must admit, from watching everything I have seen about them I would agree that they are.
T: Yeah (nodding)
D: So you are saying that, effectively, even off screen Hera and Kanan are your surrogate mother and father?
T: Yeah. Yeah, very much so. And they act like that, they do everything to take care of us and it’s funny and is exactly like parents would react to their children. And Freddie has really taken on that mentorship role, and being that as the padawan / master kind of thing. And Vanessa (Vanessa Marshall, Hera Syndulla in the show) is great, takes care of every single one of us in the booth, which is just like her and just like Hera.
D: That is nice to hear, that is. Really nice to hear. So, when did you get into acting? I know that you do live action acting and this is the first animation?
T: This is the first animated show I have ever done. And it’s been amazing. There’s been a learning curve to it, but it’s been such a blast. We have had a great time. Everything else I have done has been live action, and what I have been working on since Rebels has all I’ve been doing. This is amazing (gesturing expansively)!
D: It really is amazing, I agree. So, you initially got into live action and you have now gone into this, if you were to give any ideas to people or tips. You’ve effectively managed to become the dream come true for a lot of people.
T: Sure, yeah. You realise… how many people wannabe actors, it’s a huge thing. I was fortunate that, and I owe a lot to my parents, that I was able to fairly early on. I started acting when I was about thirteen and I think I did my first film… and then I have just been working since then. And it’s been, it’s the only thing I have ever done in my life as far as a job goes. So, it’s amazing. You forget how many people want to do this. And it’s so fun. You’ve gotta remember that err, we are very lucky and fortunate to work as actors and work on such cool shows.
D: Yes. For me, it would be the dream come true. It really would. To be involved in this. And I am certain a lot of people reading this are going to be thinking “I would want to try and get into that”. So, is it just perseverance, just keep trying?
T: That’s… its funny, because people ask every now and again, “what’s like a little tip, a little bit of advice for someone who wants to be an actor?” And I say, what I usually say is, “don’t take ‘no’ as an answer”, I’ve been told ‘no’ and been rejected so many times, it’s like having a glass of water, you know what I mean? You have to become unaffected by that because you are gonna be auditioned for a lot of things and you are gonna want to do a lot of different parts. But there will always be someone that looks a little bit more like ‘this’ or sounds a little bit more like ‘that’. So you just gotta keep doing it and doing it because you enjoy it, and eventually one ‘yes’ makes up for a thousand ‘nos’, which is amazing.
D: So, if you had to choose, would to choose darkness or light? Because you’ve bandied with…
T&D: Both…
T: (Hesitation) Dddaaaarrrk (nodding)…
D: D…d…d…ark?
T: Light (nodding)…. Dark. I like that bit in-between. That, that toying with both sides. You know what, dark.
D: Dark?
T: (Nodding) Dark.
D: Thank you very much for this. So, you have joined a group of actors who have had a massive impact on fan’s lives. From your own experiences which characters do you like in Star Wars?
T: Han, Han is my favourite Star Wars character ever.
D: I remember you saying that yesterday, it was my little boy that raised his hand and you answered his question (the day before Taylor had been on stage and had discussed what it was like to be part of Star Wars and he took some questions from the floor – my 10 year old son had asked Taylor a question).
T: Oh, really (nodding and smiling).
D: Yeah, I didn’t know he had his hand up and then I turned around and thought “oh, my god, what is he going to ask?” and then he asked such a nice question.
T: He asked a great question.
D: It was, and your response though was amazing. Because it was a very honest response. And you actually went around why you thought that character was so good. Thank you.
T: Oh, of course…
D: It made William’s day, it really did.
T: Those are the best questions. And kids get away with asking questions where you want to say more, and give them answers, and they are the ones who can get the spoilers out of you.
D: So what is your favourite Star War film?
T: Is Episode 4, A New Hope. But people react differently every time I say it, but… I don’t know, it was the very first one, it was so cool, and it was… I don’t… (struggling to explain what it means to him), its beautiful in how like ‘raw’ it is. And that is what made Star Wars, Star Wars and everything else kinda followed suit. I dunno, I love that film. And I love Episode 5 as well.
D: I have fallen in love with you even more for that response.
T: Amazing (looking slightly worried…).
D: That is my favourite film, and everyone always asks me, “well, why that one?”
T: Yeah (nodding and smiling again!).
D: It’s the one that made it.
T: Yeah, that’s right. And to hear the stories. Ah, like Dave Filoni, he’s told stories that are like, “if you watch that movie you will see extras laughing in the background”, because what they were doing, they thought it was a joke, this type of movie. It seems so… such a far cry from anything that would be cool. And then it turned out to be Star Wars, and then the next film had a huge budget and everyone is taking it seriously. It’s funny to see how one person had the vision and then (nodding).
D: It worked…
T: And then everyone then understood.
D: So what was your first memory of Star Wars?
T: Erm, its funny, I can think back to it now and I can remember being younger and everyone had Star Wars lunchpails (lunchboxes in the UK) or t-shirts and things like that… and, this isn’t anything against my parents, I just never had it or anything related to Star Wars. But I would go over to kids houses and they would have Star Wars memorabilia and movies on and everything and I remember asking my parents, “hey, can we watch these Star Wars movies, like everyone else knows about them?” And that was what got me to watch Episodes 4, 5 and 6. Erm, so I remember a specific time back then when I had a conversation with my mom saying, “yeah, I don’t know much about this, can we watch some of these movies?” And that was my first Star Wars experience.
D: Within Star Wars there are a number of well-known quotes and phrases. So from all of the Star Wars universe what is your favourite sound bite?
T: I mean, the cliché of saying, “May the Force be with you”, is pretty easy to go with, and pretty great. But, now having done the show, and learning everything about that line, and what it takes to say that line, and what that means: what the Force is. It does sound like this weird, pathetic cliché, but that is one of the greatest lines ever in cinema.
D: So what’s your favourite ship or vehicle of any type?
T: In Star Wars?
D: Sorry, yes, in Star Wars.
T: (Laughing) yes, errm (pause as he thinks). I mean, the Falcon.
D: The Falcon?
T: Yeah…
D: It trumps the Ghost, or the Phantom?
T: 100%. I mean, the Falcon like that is the coolest ship in Star Wars. Once again, that made Star Wars. There is no Ghost or Phantom without the Falcon as far as the ships go. Although the big walkers, when they’re on, um, Hoth. And they’re zipping around and tying them up with cables, that is pretty iconic and I loved those. And granted they are for the Imperial, but those are also very cool.
D: That’s about all of my questions, thank you very much…
T: Of course… thank you very much.
D: I really appreciate all of your time (gesturing out into the event floor), I’ll let you get back to your fans and your signings. Thank you very much for your time Taylor.
T: You got it Dave (reaches out to shake my hand).