Skeleton Crew: Where a kid can be a kid

It's been said that Star Wars is for kids, and there's certainly an argument to be made, but the upcoming Skeleton Crew series on Disney+ is taking that very literally. For audiences between the age of Young Jedi Adventures and the intensity of adult problems in films like Rogue One or The Rise of Skywalker, we have the story of four fairly typical kids on an extraordinary journey. A recent discussion with the actors portraying those young adventurers shed light on how they're keeping their youthful enthusiasm up.

Skeleton Crew is the perfect story for kids

The YouTube channel Skywalking Through Neverland recently featured the stars in a discussion called "STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW Actors Speak! Star Wars Fan Site Roundtable, and it's safe to say that we hope the characters are as interesting and genuine as the actors playing them.

Mike Celestino establishes himself early on as a fan of Robert Timothy-Smith's character, Neel. This prompts a bit of celebrating and signs with a proud, "Neel Nation!" while Ryan Kiera Armstrong quietly admires, "That's so cool." When Kyriana Kratter, who plays KB, gets excited about recognizing Celestino, everyone cracks up.

From the start, it's clear that they're at home at their ages, and that bodes very well for the show. Robert says, "It's crazy" when describing the experience of having an action figure of his character and says he's "always played with these toys and now we have toys of our own about our characters. It's insane." Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Fern) admits to having cried when she saw a prototype figure as it's "all becoming real so fast." Kyriana remembers unboxing her LEGO set and getting to "see the sparkle of the character being built." Ravi Cabot-Conyers, who plays Wim, talks about sharing the love of LEGOs with his dad and sister.

These aren't just winsome kids who have fun geeking out. George Bate comes on later, already having enjoyed the show with "every shot." Of course, one question arose: What was a fun moment for them to film? Whether relating a prank Ryan Kiera played on her fellow actors with the help of the crew or telling what music they would sing in their dressing rooms, they communicate the details of why Ravi says it was "a lot of fun for seven months." Kyriana and Robert both talk about the fun of the stunt parts.

I'm looking forward to the show for many reasons, but the natural chemistry and humor in the interviews give the impression of acting technique that incorporates a lot of their personalities. The previews of the show are showing promise in use of the individual styles, but it doesn't lose any of the savvy shown in these off-the-cuff remarks. And I think that will be a great thing for the end result of Skeleton Crew.

Skeleton Crew will be released on December 2, 2024 through Disney+.