One of the major points of contention in
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a movie already fraught with fandom-based controversy, was the fate of Andy Serkis' CG character Supreme Leader Snoke. One of the main reasons for the strife was Snoke's complete lack of backstory, many fans believing the story to be simply incomplete without it.
This subject, amongst many others relating to the character, was what
Entertainment Weekly discussed with Serkis in a recent interview. He mentioned how he and his directors had sat down and discussed Snoke's history, and how leaving his backstory vague is the best way to facilitate future stories. Here's the full quote:
We wanted him to have a great deal of mystery, but we did … J.J. [Abrams] and I discussed it, and Rian [Johnson] and I did discuss backstories to him, where he came from. I’ve been asked to not shed anything, should we want to bring him back in any way whether [in a] prequel or whatever. I think there’s something cool about that. It still does remain a mystery for people. I know that some people find it incredibly frustrating, but I think it allows for further exploration and layering at a further point.
And by answering the question of whether he sees Snoke returning to the franchise he also clarifies his first statement, which you might say seems like a backpedal:
Yeah, I would love to think that there is room for him to come back. I think anything’s possible in a Star Wars movie. I’d be all up for it. I think there’s a lot more to be had from the character for sure, but I’m not in discussions with anybody at all about it.
While keeping anything significant about Snoke's backstory close to his chest, Serkis did however shed some light on the powerful baddie's characterisation in general:
I played him as incredibly threatened by this female, which he’s not used to or doesn’t understand. He completely underestimates Rey, obviously, but he can sense that there’s a strength there that certainly Kylo Ren doesn’t have. I would say he’s pretty misogynistic in that respect. Interestingly. For our time.
What do you think about the way Serkis portrayed Snoke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi? How do you feel about how vague/non-existent Snoke's backstory is?