By George & Josh Bate
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another continues to wow audiences and critics alike with its sprawling, hilarious, and timely story. In recent interviews, star Leonardo DiCaprio revealed parallels between his new movie and Star Wars, including how Boba Fett inspired his character Bob Ferguson’s look.
The parallels between One Battle After Another and Star Wars are glaring given that both stories follow revolutionaries fighting against an oppressive system. DiCaprio noted these parallels in an interview with USA Today. “There’s the weird Star Wars theme to this movie.” DiCaprio continued in an interview with Rolling Stone, “They share the same integral values of freedom and what is right and what is not right—[Benicio del Toro] has a line that freedom means no fear, and it’s something that my character’s forgotten. Sensei [Benicio del Toro] is kind of Bob [DiCaprio]’s Obi-Wan Kenobi who makes him believe in himself.”
The Star Wars influences run even deeper, according to DiCaprio. The Academy Award Winning actor revealed that his character Bob Ferguson’s look was inspired by Boba Fett. “I had this vision of these wraparound optical glasses like Boba Fett,” DiCaprio told USA Today. “Those are the ones I had to choose.”
Between One Battle After Another and Andor, Paul Thomas Anderson and Tony Gilroy have crafted arguably the two most relevant film/television projects of the decade so far. Both are backed by extraordinary writing and performances, in addition to sharing something special with a galaxy far, far away.