After twenty years, Bonnie Piesse has returned to the Star Wars franchise as Beru in the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi. She previously appeared in Star Wars Episode II and Episode III as Beru when she was a teenager in Australia, starting an acting career beyond Australian television. Since then, she has established herself as a musician, releasing an EP, and was one of the subjects of the HBO documentary series The Vow, which profiled the cult NXIVM—Piesse and her husband were former members of. She made her triumphant return to acting as Beru in 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Piesse chatted with MovieWeb to discuss her role in the franchise.
From Television to Star Wars
MovieWeb: In Obi-Wan Kenobi, you return to a role you last played in 2005. What was it like returning to a character after so much time has passed?
Bonnie Piesse: The first time it was so exciting. I was a teenager and I’ve just been in cast in Star Wars. It was really exciting. This time I just felt like I had a much deeper understanding of the fans, the whole world and what it means. I was a lot more grateful this time.
MovieWeb: So you were sixteen when you were first cast in Star Wars Episode II? What was the process of joining the franchise and being cast like as a new, young actor?
Bonnie Piesse: Yeah, I was sixteen when I was first filmed Episode II, then nineteen for Revenge of the Sith. So I had just started acting in Australia, I was doing television shows, and I loved it. There were a few big movies shooting in Australia at the time, really just a few, and Star Wars was one of them at the time. So I heard about that happening and I was kind of thinking it would be cool to be a part of it. I was hoping and praying that somehow it would happen. They reached out to my agent, they somehow found me through a casting website, they saw my photo, and thought that I looked like the older Beru. They’ve probably seen some of my television work too but I think a lot of it had to do with looking like her.
MovieWeb: How did you start acting originally?
Bonnie Piesse: I was a springboard diver, and I was doing springboard diving competitions, which I really loved. I had a friend in diving who got an acting and modeling agent, and she said, “Why do you talk to my agent.” So I did. I met with her agent and ended up working with her. I started auditioning after doing a couple of modeling jobs, then my first acting audition I booked a role for a six month shoot on an Australian television series called High Flyers. It was about circus kids, and I played the trapeze artist.
MovieWeb: What role does your character take on in Obi-Wan Kenobi versus Star War II & III?
Bonnie Piesse: Basically you’ll see that I’m taking care of Luke. Making sure that he has a good life and is taken care.
MovieWeb: Would you say you’ve grown up along with Beru?
Bonnie Piesse: Absolutely! Beru is now a mother. I’m not a mother, but definitely. It’s been [over] twenty years, Beru’s matured her own way into this motherly figure and I’ve gone off and lived all kinds of lives since filming Star Wars.
MovieWeb: Were you a Star Wars fan before appearing in it?
Bonnie Piesse: I wasn’t a fan as much. I’d seen Episode I: The Phantom Menace with my family in the theaters in Australia, and I liked it, but I hadn’t seen the older movies so I had to really catch up and quickly watch them all. And Star Wars was such a huge world to start learning the characters and planets, which was a learning curve. I’m still trying to keep catching up.
MovieWeb: So are you a fan now?
Bonnie Piesse: Absolutely a huge fan now. I really appreciate the mythological aspects of it. I love the force and how that works, even the heroic journey that George Lucas developed in a way that was truly profound.
A Return to Acting
MovieWeb: This was your first big role in acting after appearing on The Vow and leaving NXIM. How has this gradual return been for you in terms of creativity, spirituality, and healing?
Bonnie Piesse: I definitely needed to take some time to just heal after The Vow and the trial, really focus on self-care. I did want to do some more acting for sure, but my husband and I had moved to Portugal. At the time when I got the call about Obi-Wan Kenobi I wasn’t actively pursuing it. I was kind of thrown back into it. It pulled me back in. I did have plenty of time before filming to get ready and do whatever I needed to get back into acting.
MovieWeb: So you were called for the role?
Bonnie Piesse: Yeah, pretty much! They tracked me down and basically offered me the role again.
MovieWeb: What was your reaction?
Bonnie Piesse: The way it came through originally was that it was a message through a casting website. I didn’t know what it was at all and I wasn’t really checking my messages, so I ignored it for a little awhile. But when I realized I would be talking to Deborah Chow I definitely had a moment of freaking out. I knew what that meant when I saw her name, that it was for Kenobi, since I had rumors. I was nervous and excited.
MovieWeb: We all know Star Wars is such a staple in popular culture. What has been your favorite part of working on the franchise so far?
Bonnie Piesse: It’s a community that you feel instantly welcomed into by the fans. It’s kind of like you’ve joined this family and you’re forever in the family. I really appreciate that support, how the Star Wars fans have been supportive and helped me in different things over the years. Like when I released an EP of my original songs, the Star Wars fans were so great helping me with the crowdfunding.
MovieWeb: Do you have any specific memories of running into a fan?
Bonnie Piesse: Up until now, most people don’t recognize me from Star Wars on the street. A lot of times people have thought they’ve known me or something, like my face looks familiar. There was one time after the news of Obi-Wan was announced, so maybe this person had it on their radar, and this guy across the street said, “The force! You have the force in you!”
MovieWeb: What’s next for you?
Bonnie Piesse: I don’t actually know. I have a lot of things I want to keep pursuing. If acting opens up for me of course I’ll keep saying yes. I am going to be releasing a new EP, I’ve got two songs finished, and I’m working on a book. I’ve got a lot of different things I want to do.