The Acolyte: Amandla Stenberg on

After Daisy Ridley (Rey) had some sage advice to offer her last week, Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) is checking in to share some thoughts on how things are going with Disney+, Lucasfilm, and series creator, showrunner & executive producer Leslye Headland‘s (Russian Doll) “Star Wars” universe series The Acolyte. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in support of her Sundance film My Animal, Stenberg offered a quick update on how things are going at Shinfield Studios (the series’ production home) and how it felt “astounding” to learn that the series was crafted with her in mind as the lead.

“It’s good. It’s wild. I actually didn’t understand how many films were shot out in the countryside of London. The studios are huge. It’s definitely a huge contrast from coming off of this last job. So it’s incredible to have this infrastructure and this many resources,” the actress shared when asked how things have been going with production over at Shinfield Studios. While describing the experience as “surreal,” Stenberg was hesitant about how much she could discuss regarding how the series came about and her early (unbeknown to her) influence on it. “Oh God, I have no clue if I’m allowed to talk about this. I haven’t actually been media trained by Lucasfilm yet, so I’m not sure,” she admitted. But after learning that her impact early on was mentioned previously, Stenberg felt more comfortable to share, “Yeah, that is how it happened. It was a very astounding moment for me.”

Disney+, Lucasfilm, and Headland’s The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), and Margarita Levieva (Revenge, The Deuce). The mystery-thriller is set to take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. Here’s a look at how things were going early on behind the scenes (with Headland also directing the series pilot):

Along with Headland, Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef will executive produce (with Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson set to produce). For more information on the High Republic and more about the “Star Wars” universe, head on over to the franchise’s main hub.