‘Rise of Skywalker’ Actor Greg Grunberg Debunks The “J.J. Cut” Rumors

2 minute read

By Riley Jones (@moviemanjones)

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Greg Grunberg – who played Snap Wexley in the Star Wars sequel trilogy – opened up about his lifelong friendship with J.J. Abrams and if there is any truth to the “J.J. Cut” rumors that have been circulating on the internet ever since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released.

“I’m being completely honest here, but not once did he ever tell me that there was any pressure on him to cut things out. Personally, I don’t think there’s any truth to that, and I would be surprised if there’s a ‘J.J. cut.’ Every movie goes through a series of cuts; it’s just the nature of it. I don’t buy into it at all.”

The actor went on to explain why the unjust criticism lobbied at The Rise of Skywalker made him so furious.

“When the movie came out, I was so pissed off and angry about one specific criticism that I heard. It said, ‘Oh, he’s just pandering to the fans,’ Grunberg tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s like, ‘What are you talking about? A movie like this is all about satisfying the fans.'”

Source: Screenshot via Lucasfilm/Disney

Grunberg proceeded to shut down any an all rumors that The Rise of Skywalker is a rebuke of The Last Jedi and said J.J. believes Rian Johnson is both a creative and brilliant filmmaker.

“I never heard one disparaging thing from J.J. about Rian. It’s one of those things where if you pay attention to the film and engage with it, all it does is keep that story going. … I would absolutely tell you if there were moments here and there. And there weren’t. There just absolutely weren’t. If anybody was going to try and dig that out of J.J., it’d be me. I wanted to work with Rian so badly, and it just didn’t happen. So, I would be looking for any reason to go, ‘Oh yeah, well,’ but J.J. loves that guy. He loves how creative and how brilliant he is.”

What are your thoughts on Grunberg’s comments? Were you a fan of the Star Wars sequel trilogy? Is Rey the most powerful Jedi in the universe? Let us know in the comments below.

Riley Jones (@moviemanjones)

Contributor

Riley is the Managing Editor of Goliath. When he's not at the movie theatre or binging some new tv series, he likes to spend his time shooting hoops and play MTG. He doesn't like 'Breaking Bad,' loves 'The Simpsons,' hates mayonnaise, and has been repping the Toronto Raptors since '95. Follow him on IG and Twitter @moviemanjones.