Benicio Del Toro Discusses His Mysterious Last Jedi Character

When it comes to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, uncertainties about characters' motivations and backstories are a dime a dozen, but one franchise newcomer sticks out as a mystery more than others: Benicio del Toro's "DJ." In an recent interview, the actor addressed all the hubbub surrounding the strange new man. However, he may have caused more confusion than clarity in what he revealed. 

Speaking with SciFiNow Magazine (H/T Tumblr user sleemo), del Toro likened DJ to a character found in an old folk-rock tune or a piece of literature. "Maybe you could find him in a Bob Dylan song or a Tom Waits song," the actor said. "Or maybe in a Dostoyevsky novel. You'll find DJ in one of those stories." Del Toro added that "you don't know what he is... you don't know if he's good or bad," he stated. 

Del Toro then stated that the mystery of DJ is a crucial part of what makes The Last Jedi so intriguing. "The fans want that wrapping paper around that Christmas gift," he said of the many unknowns circling his character. "Don't give it to them without the paper. They don't want to see it when they walk in the room. They don't want to know."

The actor's co-star John Boyega, the man behind the former Stormtrooper Finn, had a bit more to say about DJ. Boyega noted earlier this year that DJ comes into the mix when his character and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico venture off to the casino planet of Canto Bight. DJ proves a valuable asset to their mission, as he is described as having a "sharp mind and expert skills," which includes codebreaking. "We just need a codebreaker and he's the best in the galaxy," Boyega said. "Unfortunately, he's very dodgy and only in it for financial gain. He doesn't fight for any side. He has distinct opinions. The Resistance bombs the First Order one day, the First Order bombs the Resistance on another. It's an ongoing war that will never end. For him, he's trying to benefit off of that–which doesn't make him the person you want to trust."

Tran also dished up a bit of DJ-related information, stating that being in the same room with del Toro in character was "like there was a tiger in the room, and I always had to be watching... like an animal, at any moment he could do something, and I didn't know what."

It seems as though the more details we discover, the less we actually know about del Toro's DJ. Hopefully all of our burning questions will be answered when The Last Jedi zooms into theaters on December 15.