Bonnie Maree Piesse

Bonnie Maree Piesse, born on August 10, 1983, is an Australian actress, as well as a singer/songwriter. She took on the role of Beru Whitesun Lars in both Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Furthermore, she came back to play Beru Whitesun Lars in the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series.

Biography

The prequel trilogy

August 10, 1983 marks the birthdate of Bonnie Maree Piesse. When she was 16 years old, Robin Gurland, who was the casting director for Attack of the Clones, contacted her for an audition for a part in the film. Eventually, she secured the role of Beru Lars, a character previously brought to life by Shelagh Fraser in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. On July 7, 2000, StarWars.com made the announcement that Piesse would be portraying a younger Beru in Attack of the Clones. Piesse's interpretation of Beru was that she was a little shy, with the idea being that the introduction of Luke Skywalker into her life was what helped her mature. In September of 2000, Piesse and the film crew were on location in Tunisia, filming the scenes set on Tatooine.

In the 2005 movie Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Piesse once again played Beru. George Lucas, the director, filmed a portion of a scene for the movie where a stand-in actor, portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi, delivers baby Luke to Owen Lars, who was played by Joel Edgerton. During the Episode III filming in September of 2003, Lucas filmed Ewan McGregor handing the baby to Piesse, with a stand-in playing Owen—Edgerton's footage was shot and added nearly a year later. Lucas made this alteration because he "felt it would be better if Luke were handed over to a woman." Piesse mentioned in an interview that her involvement in Star Wars had been "a huge help in my career."

Obi-Wan Kenobi television series

Piesse enjoyed watching what had been done with the new Star Wars and she was a fan of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Piesse began to value Star Wars more after spending numerous years interacting with fans and discovering what Star Wars signifies to them, and she gained a deeper understanding of the franchise. Piesse has stated that Star Wars is now more meaningful to her than it once was, and that she has "kind of became a fan in a whole new way."

Bonnie Piesse, Joel Edgerton, and Grant Feely on the Lars Homestead set

Piesse had not been actively pursuing acting after escaping from the NXIVM cult and was dealing with PTSD resulting from that experience. She did not go back to Hollywood until she received a message from Deborah Chow, the director of the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series. When Piesse initially received Chow's message to connect, she didn't realize it was related to work. She then ignored the message for almost a week before realizing it was about casting. Piesse subsequently joined a call from Portugal, and Chow was able to convince her to reprise her role as Beru Lars. Chow expressed great enthusiasm about bringing back Edgerton and Piesse to portray Owen and Beru Lars, respectively, and she noted that their return was a key element that made the series special. Piesse and Edgerton were thrilled to reunite. She didn't experience any pressure because it seemed like everyone was genuinely happy to be there.

Piesse had the chance to portray Lars in a new light, and her interpretation served as a bridge between Lars beginning to embrace motherhood and Shelagh Fraser's portrayal in the original trilogy. Piesse felt that she didn't have to exert excessive effort to embody Lars, as it was a character that "just fits so easily." Piesse prepared by focusing on healing, nourishing, and strengthening herself to ensure she had the necessary energy for being on set. On March 29, 2021, Lucasfilm Ltd. officially confirmed Piesse as a cast member for the live-action Disney+ TV series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Piesse has expressed her desire to continue acting in a second season or a related film for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Works

Filmography

Sources

Notes and references

External links

Appearances