Manny Jacinto Discusses the Romance Between Osha and Qimir in ‘The Acolyte’: “It was always something that we wanted to allude to”

‘The Acolyte’ concluded its first season this week, tying up most of its storylines while hinting at future developments. Master Sol is dead, and we saw cameos from Plagueis and Master Yoda. It was also confirmed that Vernestra Rwoh is Qimir’s former Jedi Master. Additionally, the complex relationship between Qimir and Osha was highlighted.

The romantic connection between Qimir and Osha was teased in episode 6, which stirred fans with its provocative scenes of Sith and Osha’s seduction to the dark side.

Even then, Leslye Headland confirmed that the show was indeed pairing Osha and Qimir, and fans have reacted passionately. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Manny Jacinto, who plays Qimir, affirmed that the show intended to suggest there’s more to the relationship between Osha and Qimir than just a desire for power.

It was always something that we wanted to allude to. From the beginning, we knew the journey of these characters, that it would end up in sort of this more intimate type of relationship. Everything from the being seduced by the dark side to the power of two. There is this sense of intimacy and romanticism that is just there, especially when you have two people that are thought of as being outsiders. You want somebody to go through this world that doesn’t accept you. You want to go through it with somebody. It was always implied.

I remember that specific scene, I was only meant to stand beside her. Amandla was just standing there looking out into the ocean, and I would just stand beside her. And we were just supposed to look out into this vast ocean together. And I suggested, “Hey, would it be cool if I reach my hand over where she’s holding the lightsaber, and I kind of just wrap my hand around her hand?” And fortunately, Leslye is very collaborative and she was like, “Yeah, let’s try it!” And then we filmed it a bunch of times and she was like, “I really like this!” And then lo and behold, we kept it for the final cut.

Manny Jacinto also hinted that we might see more of their relationship if the show gets a second season.

I think it alludes to something more romantic, but it also alludes to something I think a lot of Star Wars fans are yearning for. In this IP, you have the ships like Reylo, and you have all those relationships that people just innately want to see — these romantic relationships that people want to see in Star Wars. So Leslye was like, “Give the people what they want. Let’s lean into this.” And hopefully we can explore more of that again in a possible season 2 and in subsequent seasons.

Despite the potential of Qimir’s and Osha’s relationship, Headland recently hinted at a twist. Even though Osha and Qimir appear perfect for each other, the arrival of Darth Plagueis could change everything. After all, there can only be two…

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