J.J. Abrams on why the Leia/Rey hug was probably a mistake

First off, if you haven't seen STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS yet you should probably avoid this article as it will be full of spoilers. Those involved in huge productions like STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS rarely admit to mistakes, especially not while the film is still playing in theaters, but I've always found it refreshing when actors and directors are able to talk candidly about their work. J.J. Abrams successfully managed to bring Star Wars back and get an entire new generation of fans excited about the franchise but, as with any film, there are still plenty of areas to nitpick if you're so inclined.

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) sadly perished at the hands of his son during the finale of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, and even though the Resistance won the day, it came at a price. Upon returning to the Resistance base with a wounded Finn (John Boyega), a somber Rey (Daisy Ridley) was greeted by General Leia (Carrie Fisher) who, despite never having met her, embraced her, completely ignoring poor Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Many fans took issue with that scene but J.J. Abrams recently explained to /Film what his motives were while admitting that he may have gone about it in the wrong way.

That was probably one of the mistakes I made in that. My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of. So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey. The idea being that both of them being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other — that Leia would have been told about her beyond what we saw onscreen and Rey of course would have learned about Leia. And that reunion would be a meeting and a reunion all in one, and a sort of commiseration of their mutual loss. Had Chewbacca not been where he was, you probably wouldn’t have thought of it. But because he was right there, passed by Leia, it felt almost like a slight, which was definitely not the intention.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS will be released on Blu-ray/DVD on April 5, 2016.