STACK #132 Oct 2016

EXTRAS

NEWS

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THE FORCE WILL BE WITH US It’s a good year to be a Star Wars fan. Not only do we have a new movie on the way, that, at this stage, looks to be constructed from all the right materials, but we also get a new-gen resurrection of the Star Wars: Battlefront video game franchise. And this isn’t even touching on the explosion of toys and ephemera we can expect around Christmas time [It’s already started! – Ed]. To celebrate, we’re cramming a plethora of Star Wars editorial into the November and December issues of STACK – particularly the latter, when the Force finally awakens in cinemas. We’ll spill some mega Star Wars facts, take a look at what we know about The Force Awakens so far, revisit the prequels (were they really all that bad?) and the original trilogy prior to Lucas's digital enhancements, and spotlight Star Wars in video games. We’ve even tracked down one of the world’s leading authorities on vintage Star Wars collectibles for a chat. So, as the releases of Battlefront and The Force Awakens draw ever closer, rest assured that the Force will be with you. Always. Let's kick it off right here with five facts you may or may not know about Star Wars. 1 In the original Star Wars , Darth Vader is only on screen for a total of 12 minutes despite being one of the film's leading characters. 2 Peter Mayhew, the 7ft 3" giant who played Chewbacca, was paid just $450 a week for his work on A New Hope. 3 Ever wondered what sound designer Ben Burtt used to make the iconic TIE Fighter sound? It's an elephant call mixed together with a car driving past a microphone in the wet. 4 The Stormtrooper helmets used in A New Hope were made from High Density Polyethylene - the same material used today to make plastic milk cartons. 5 James Earl Jones was paid just $7,000 to voice Darth Vader in A New Hope.

SNEAK Peak

As Halloween approaches, Guillermo del Toro’s gothic horror film Crimson Peak will send shivers down your spine.

A s a species we seem to enjoy being scared, and Crimson Peak ’s star Jessica Chastain has some interesting theories why. “I think that being scared is a reminder of being alive,” muses the actress, who last teamed up with Guillermo del Toro for the creepy Mama . “In that sense, horror movies have a lot in common with roller coasters. I was having dinner with a friend recently who told me how he went down the YouTube rabbit hole of watching roller coaster accidents; people filming the roller coaster, not knowing, and then someone flies off. It’s awful. I’m not gonna go on a roller coaster anymore,” she says with a shudder. But she does enjoy a good ghost story. “I think maybe it’s because we’re all questioning what happens after death. Do we continue to roam the earth, do we get to visit our relatives, and ring the phone or turn the lights on and off? That’s the question.” Growing up in California, Chastain recalls seeing The Exorcist at an alarmingly early age, and still enjoys the supernatural genre. “You definitely get a jolt of energy from a horror movie, although I am that person in the audience that, if it becomes too scary, will completely close my eyes,” says the actress, who presumably hopes her

Jessica Chastain

Crimson Peak audience keep their eyes wide open as she prowls the halls of the haunted mansion. The film also stars Australia’s own Mia Wasikowska, whom director del Toro confesses to falling in love with after seeing her in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland . “She brought such an integrity and intelligence to the part,” he says. “In person she is incredibly shy and at the same time very social. It’s an odd mixture. She’s also very curious and is almost incapable of faking a moment.” Gill Pringle

Crimson Peak is in cinemas on October 15.

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