Drew Struzan is the poster artist behind iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones posters, among other things, and he came out of retirement to make a poster Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which premiered at the D23 Expo. As he explained in a recent interview with Movie Weekly, he came out of retirement for Star Wars because “of course I have to do this.” He also said Force Awakens is probably the best Star Wars movie:
“I got to read the script and subsequently I’ve seen half of [Star Wars: The Force Awakens] and I can tell you and the fans this, honest to god, it is far and away probably going to be THE BEST Star Wars you’ve ever seen.”
He added, “It’s beautifully made and it’s a wonderful story.” Granted, he may be just a bit biased. If J.J. Abrams personally showed me an unfinished cut of the movie, I’d be telling everyone it was the best thing ever ever ever.
As for how Struzan paints poster art that connects with fans so strongly and endures decades later, that may come down to his heartfelt understanding of the emotions in the viewer:
“I paint how I feel about it. And it seems to connect with you and the world. So I have a universal feeling and I paint what I saw. […] Not to tell the story, but to tell you how you’re going to feel when you see the film.”
In the long interview (which is well worth checking out), he also told Movie Weekly he hopes to do posters for all of the upcoming Star Wars films, despite his retirement. “Well, I’ve retired from the 100 hour weeks and the 24 days, I got too tired for that. But the one joy and the one gift I have is to paint. No, I’ll never stop doing that.”
Thanks for sharing that gift, Mr. Struzan.
(Via Movie Weekly)
