Transcript for Adam Driver discusses his biggest roles, from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Marriage Story’

Reporter: There's been no villain like him since darth vader. Your destiny. Reporter: Kylo ren, played by Adam driver, returns in the final episode of the "Star wars" saga "The rise of Skywalker." Have you heard the fan rumblings about bendemption and about him? That -- that kylo ren is going to be redeemed back to his Ben solo-like heart and they're like #bendemption, like redemption. What does he need to be redeemed for? Spoken like a true villain. Yeah, well, I mean, like, what did he do that he has to be redeemed? I feel like he feels like he's in the right. So what is there to be redeemed from? Reporter: From the moment he was cast six years ago it was clear driver's villain would be different. More complex. Displaying both brooding evil and vulnerability in "The force awakens." You don't have to do this. Reporter: And "The last jedi." I feel the conflict in you. He's still kind of aimless, not aimless necessarily, but still trying to find his place, but no less powerful, but a little more directionless. And how is that manifested physically? His costume in the first one is ill fitting and kind of tight, to his lightsaber that you get a sense that it's going to not work at any minute. That kind of is more human to Reporter: Leaving fans guessing what kylo ren has in store in the third installment of the sequel trilogy. That's where he starts, where he kind of goes I'm keeping to myself. Reporter: That surprising range in character and classic acting chops are what driver has become known for since his breakout role in the HBO series "Girls" in 2012. What do we need to talk about? We're not together anymore. I don't really care about labels. Reporter: Since then driver has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Including martin scorsese in the 2016 drama "Silence." Someone's here watching you. Then I would have been dead. Reporter: And spike Lee in "Blackkklansman," for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Flip, it's Intel. I'm not risking my life to prevent Redskins from lighting a couple sticks on fire. What's your problem? For you it's a crusade. For me it's my job. Who has been one of the people that maybe you geeked out over? Somebody that you watched and now you're alongside and considered a peer with? While I don't think I consider him a peer because he's so kind of ahead, even his movies are so ahead of where I'm ready as an audience member but it would be scorsese. But you could really say that about a lot of people that I've worked to us. You know, spike Lee or soderbergh, you know, or people that I've always admired. You know, when you have people like that telling you that no actually hired you for your opinions, then it's really empowering. This is kind of a coming of age time for you, the past six years, don't you think? I mean, do you feel like you hit your sweet spot now? Oh no, I don't. I mean, I still feel like, you always feel like you're perpetually coming of age. A lot of things are happening now but I don't know if it has anything to do with me. Reporter: In addition to the "Star wars" big screen blockbuster driver has not one but two feature films now streaming. "The report" on Amazon. If the "Times" had your report, we would print it tomorrow. No. If it's going to come out it's going to come out the right way. What I love about Charlie. Reporter: And "Marriage story" on Netflix. His performance in this visceral tearjerker up for a golden globe. What's this? Who owns baltic avenue? It's telling the beginning of a relationship at the end of it. Reporter: In the movie, driver stars as Charlie barber, a theater director trying to navigate his split from wife Nicole, played by Scarlett Johansson. It's separating. It's kind of naming things almost clinically that you feel intuitively in a marriage. You know someone so well in that you're changing your molecules inside to think about them a different way. That love doesn't go away. It transitions into this other thing. It was just interesting to watch your development of that character. It was also interesting to watch you sing. Someone to need you too much Where he put it in the script I thought was really beautiful and character revealing. Only through singing the lyrics of someone else's work, a song about someone who doesn't want love and now for the first time realizes that that's all they want. Does he begin to mourn what he's lost a little bit? And I thought that was just beautiful writing. Reporter: Driver's ease on camera makes it seem as though he's been acting his whole life. However, it was only after serving in the Marines that he decided to give it a shot. In a way, it was the best training for being a actor. Were you really confident that acting was the way to go? I felt like, oh, compared to the military, acting isn't going to be that hard. Obviously the stakes are completely different. But it's still high pressure. It's -- it's still -- it's a different group of strangers that you're forced to be intimate with in a short amount of time. And you're trying to fulfill a mission that's bigger than any one individual part. It's about the story overall, not your role in it. Reporter: He now shares his passion for acting with those still serving. Don't need to embellish! Reporter: Founding arts in the armed forces, a non-profit that brings theatrical productions to members of the military. I kept getting the responses from different people that, you know, the military doesn't want to see plays. They won't get it. But I thought since we were all infantry Marines, we were capable of handling a Lorraine Hansberry play. "Lazy in the south." Yeah. That that that would actually speak more to what is going on in their life. I can't believe this is the tenth anniversary of arts in the armed forces. We have an annual performance on Broadway. Not only are you at the forefront of watching someone experience this new art form for the first time, which you so rarely get. But you're watching people make a connection of seeing it live. Reporter: With the stakes and expectations never higher for the "Star wars" franchise, driver's time as an infantryman and as supreme leader of the first order These are movies that always inspired me. So to not only be a fan of them but an active participant has always been surreal from the moment I met with J.J. To now, where I still don't realize that Reporter: And he's appreciative for whatever challenging role comes next. To ask other people to give two hours of their time, it better be worth it. Reporter: For nightline, I'm Adrienne Bankert in

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.