Felicity Jones + Diego Luna on “magical” experience filming ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

In a galaxy far, far away…

Rebel spy Jyn Erso and Rebel Alliance Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor took a break from their mission to steal design schematics for the Death Star and traveled through space and time to planet earth where they divulged the secrets of the Star Wars universe.

Okay, so the galaxy wasn’t that far away, and our guests were the actors playing those characters, but it’s not hard to get caught up in the narrative when you’re talking Star Wars. The reality, however, was just as awesome.

Felicity Jones (Jyn) and Diego Luna (Cassian) sat down with Entertainment Weekly Radio (Ch. 105)‘s Dalton Ross along with an exclusive group of SiriusXM subscribers to talk about the first standalone film in the Star Wars Anthology series, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, making these superfans’ dreams come true.

Everyone wanted to know what it was like being part of the famous franchise, and the two actors dished on everything from the film’s relevance in our modern world to what it’s like having your own action figure. But they wouldn’t spoil any plot points in the film, explaining that the “mystery” surrounding a Star Wars film is part of what makes it magical.

Here’s what we learned:

The Rogue One cast bonded with other Star Wars alumni about being a part of the universe.

Jones and Luna both agree that Han Solo is one of the best Star Wars characters but a few of their other favorites might surprise you.

The film used The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) as a reference point while filming.

Rogue One features a more diverse set of characters (i.e. women, people of color) than the original trilogy.

Both Jones and Luna geeked out over having their own action figures — a perfect holiday gift for their friends and family!

While mentally preparing for scenes, Jones would jam out to a girl-power playlist featuring M.I.A., Florence + The Machine, and (unsurprisingly) Beyonce.

You can hear the full Felicity Jones & Diego Luna Town Hall for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on EW Radio (Ch. 105) when on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 pm ET.

For a free 30-day trial, check out http://www.siriusxm.com/freetrial/blog.