Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams revealed another little tidbit regarding the character of Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Abrams revealed that the first time Kylo Ren removes his mask while interrogating Rey (Daisy Ridley), he is placing the mask on a table filled with ashes.
According to Abrams, these ashes are the remains of Kylo Ren's victims, which indicates he is practicing some sort of ritual or at least a dark hobby of keeping a remnant of each person he killed. However, the shot where he places the helmet on the ash-covered pedestal was taken from an entirely different sequence that didn't make it to the film.
"Sometimes bits and pieces of one scene end up being something that you use in another scene that you didn't expect. That's always kind of fun, when you realize that something you've shot actually has a use you didn't expect," he explained. "That moment was actually shot for, and meant to be used in, the scene where he was talking to the Vader mask."
In the finished version of "The Force Awakens," Kylo Ren is fully masked when conversing with the mask of Darth Vader. Abrams also stated that in the initial shot during the interrogation with Rey, the helmet is simply placed gently on a flat surface in the room and has a significantly less powerful impact, which was why it was changed.
However, this little bit of information has led to fans speculating on whose ashes were included on Kylo Ren's pedestal.
Throughout the course of "The Force Awakens," it is revealed that Kylo Ren slaughtered a lot of people when he initially turned to the Dark Side and he also killed Max von Sydow's character and his own father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
More information regarding Kylo Ren's obsession may be explored in "Star Wars: Episode VIII" when he continues his training under the tutelage of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).
"Star Wars: Episode VIII" opens in theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.
