The world is officially ramping up for the highly anticipated release of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, with trailers dropping like escape pods from Star Destroyers.

In slightly over-excited anticipation, Digital Spy caught up with intergalactic Londoner John Boyega, star of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens and its upcoming follow-up, in Los Angeles to talk about director Rian Johnson's impact, the inevitable Rey romance rumours and being tired of talking about Carrie Fisher…

So we were introduced to Finn and Rey in The Force Awakens; what can audiences expect in The Last Jedi? Is romance on the cards?

"Everything is being shifted in the opposite way to what the audience expected after Star Wars: Episode VII. What's happening with Rey and Finn? They are separate in this film. It's like two separate stories. Rey is off doing her lightsaber stuff in the mountains somewhere and Finn is on a new adventure. In that sense, maybe they are in a long-distance relationship right now?"

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What does director Rian Johnson add to the franchise?

"Rian has been given the challenge to make this story different. He's been asked to make it unique, but also expand the Star Wars universe. In The Last Jedi, the individual stories of these characters are elevated and made fresh and new."

Was he given full control and freedom?

"Rian was definitely in control, and I think the control he has is earned. They knew what they were doing when they hired Rian Johnson. Right now, with Star Wars, the universe needs to be expanded with fresh ideas. We need new characters that people will fall in love with, and he's done just that.

"I think the power that he has and the influence that he has in terms of what he did on set and in terms of what I saw is incredible. It's nice to know that everything from the little things to the big things – even down to the creatures and to the sets – all spill out from his imagination. I've never seen anything like it before. It's as far-fetched as whatever I have seen in the Star Wars universe."

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How would you describe the relationship between the actors on the various Star Wars projects?

"I went on the set of Rogue One and I met [director] Gareth Edwards. I decided to spy. We were filming bits on VIII while they were doing reshoots, so I went on set when they were filming the outdoor scene in the desert. It was the scene with the big explosion after the AT-ATs attack. It was cool.

"I went down there and I met Felicity, Gareth and a few other people. It was interesting to be on the set of Star Wars that didn't involve me. I remember standing there and finding it strange. It was weird, but they were all cool. It was like a time capsule."

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The upcoming movie is called The Last Jedi. Would you like to be a Jedi?

"Would I like to be a Jedi? I think it would be more interesting if they had more than one person be a Jedi – but I think that that is one of the unspoken laws of Star Wars. They only have one who has to go away and train.

"However, I hope it takes an interesting turn; not in terms of being a Jedi, but there are loads more stronger characters in the Star Wars universe that can go up against Jedis and they don't necessarily have to be a Jedi. I would like to explore that more; the whole Boba Fett vibe. I would like to explore that for Finn, but who knows?"

What's been your most iconic, defining moment from your entire Star Wars experience?

"For me, being cast in the film was definitely special. I had seven months of auditions and training and chemistry reads. After all that; after I booked the part, that's when I really felt like I was going to be part of a bigger world."

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How much has Star Wars changed your life?

"Star Wars has been this huge stepping stone for me. It's been the step of opportunity for me. Star Wars has granted me options and the ability to have creative freedom, which is something that I wanted. In fact, it's something that most actors want.

"On top of that, my time is no longer my own. My schedule is packed, which is different. It's a different lifestyle."

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How well did you get to know Carrie Fisher while making these movies?

"I had loads of scenes with Carrie Fisher, in both Episode VII and Episode VIII. We had a good old time with each other. What was it like to work with her? I'm going to be honest with you… It's quite draining to have to talk about her all the time.

"That being said, I have the most respect and love for her – and they pay a respectful homage to her in this film. She deserves it. She did a great job.

"When you see her in the movie, I feel like many people will guess and say, 'Oh, they made her so epic because she passed away'. But no, she filmed everything before she passed away. They really do pay respect to both Mark and Carrie in this movie, because they deserve it."

What did you keep from the set of The Last Jedi?

"I have Finn's gun. I have the big blaster he uses in the movie. Rian gave it to me as a gift."

Is your home filled with Finn souvenirs?

"Actually, I do have a lot of Star Wars stuff around my house. A young kid gave me a painting for my birthday. It's called 'A Jedi From Peckham', which is where I grew up, and it's a picture of me in a Jedi costume, so I have that on my wall.

"I also got another gift from Rian Johnson when I wrapped Episode VIII. On the second day of filming, there was a word that I could not say: biohexicrypt. It was part of the most complicated sentence, "It's a biohexicrypt and it's recharged every hour." I couldn't say it. I tried to say it over 25 times, so Rian got me the gift of a photograph of my face with the word 'biohexicrypt' written underneath. That's also on my wall at home."

Looking back at the original films, what's your favourite Star Wars movie and character?

"I like The Empire Strikes Back, that's always been my favourite. And my favourite character is Han Solo. I love characters who would do what I would do in that circumstance; the characters who would do what most humans would do, which is run away and survive – just like Han Solo. In The Empire Strikes Back, he's trying to make a quick buck. He's just trying to get some money. I like the human in these kinds of space operas."

Lucasfilm

How does your work on Star Wars differ from other projects you've worked on?

"As an actor, what makes it very different is the fact that it's given me opportunities to do a lot more other things. It feels like Star Wars is a stepping stone into a whole new world. It also gives you an opportunity to relate to fans in a different way, as well as to other franchise films.

"When a superhero movie goes to Comic-Con, that's buzzing news and it's great. But when Star Wars goes to Comic-Con, it's legendary. It's a nice feeling to be part of the cool kids. That makes me feel like I sat at the cool kids' table in high school. I didn't, but it makes me feel like that right now, which is a really nice feeling. We all feel like we are a part of something big.

"And I can't lie, my ego gets moisturised a little when I go into a public environment and other colleagues or actors look over and say, 'Those are the Star Wars kids'. You feel like you're part of the Premier Division. You're like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just got off the phone with Han Solo. He's fine'. It's great."

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There's so much secrecy surrounding Star Wars. How difficult is it to keep spoilers secret?

"For me, it's easy to keep the secrets because I am a big film buff. I hate watching trailers these days because I know what's going to happen in the end. I like the way they've been so strategic and the marketing has been so controlled.

"With The Force Awakens, it felt like people who watched the Star Wars movie in 1977 had access to that same experience again. It's that experience where you don't know what you are going to be into; it's a whole new world and loads of different characters. A Star Wars movie is unpredictable, so it's easy for me to keep secrets."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in UK cinemas on December 14

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