Kathleen Kennedy, the venerable filmmaker and former president of Lucasfilm, spent her Sunday singing the praises of American sound designers.
The prolific producer-turned-executive received an honorary award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors at the group’s annual Golden Reel Awards in Los Angeles — marking a distinguished career responsible for indelible movie moments across titles like “Jurassic Park,” “Back to the Future” and “Schindler’s List.”
“Sound helps root the story. It helps represent where characters are, not only geographically, but emotionally. It helps foreshadow the intent of a character or define what they’re going through. In short, it takes the audience on the journey of the film,” said Kennedy, accepting the prize from iconic sound designer Ben Burtt (films, series and games in the Star Wars universe) at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to work with some of the absolute titans of this craft, people who taught me very early on that sound isn’t just pasted on at the end, it’s the heartbeat of the story that should be conceived and designed and refined from the earliest stages of the process,” Kennedey said.
Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was an important lesson, the producer said, on which she worked with Burtt.
“[Steven and I] spent so much time worrying about how E.T. was going to look, but it wasn’t until we heard those heavy, shuffling footsteps and the raspy, melodic breathing that E.T. became real. He wasn’t a puppet anymore, he was a friend,” said Kennedy. “That friend’s voice came from recording a woman named Pat Welsh, who smoked two packs of Kools cigarettes every day. Ben overheard her at a photography store in San Anselmo, and waited outside on the sidewalk for her to come out. He asked her if she’d like to be an alien in a movie.”
Backstage, Kennedy spoke with Variety about the upcoming May release of “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which she greenlit and also serves as producer. Asked what it was like the first time she heard Grogu (aka Baby Yoda), speak, she shared that the little green guy is “another perfect example of a character that has to emote and you have to feel connected to, and he never speaks a word.”
Kennedy said audiences will fall deeper in love with the popular character “on the big screen, and he never says a word.” She confirmed that, despite Yoda’s oft-quoted broken English, Grogu will not gain the power of speech in the new film.
The exec also reflected on handing over the reins to Lucasfilm in January to longtime deputies Dave Filoni (now president and chief creative officer) and Lynwen Brennan (co-president).
“It didn’t just happen six months ago. I spent 10 years talking Dave into gradually stepping into live action. He had so much experience in animation. He’s so knowledgeable about Star Wars and loves it so much, it’s really been a 10-year mentoring process for both of them. Lynwen came out of Industrial Light & Magic. She was my GM the entire time. I would argue that the transition has been really pretty seamless,” Kennedy said.
Patton Oswalt hosted Sunday’s Golden Reels ceremony. Following Kennedy’s acceptance speech, the comic joked that she had gone backstage for a ritual “freeing her from the nerd mafia she’s been trapped with for years.” Regarding the fervent (and occasionally toxic) Star Wars fandom, Oswalt said Kennedy had been “freed from the comments section.”
Backstage, Kennedy reflected on her time at the top of Lucasfilm in relation to the fanbase.
“I really segued into [that job] when the fan expectations collided with social media. That really has created a kind of explosion. It’s alway has been important to Lucasfilm, that the fans are huge part of what the franchise is. So that was something that was new to me and something that grew over time, but it’s remained incredibly important to the company,” she said.
She concluded on-stage remarks with a tribute to people behind sound design, making reference to her 1981 film “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the first in the Indiana Jones franchise.
“What I love most about sound designers and editors is your curiosity. You’re the only people I know who can hear the scrape of a toilet lid and think that’s it. That’s it! That’s the sound of the Ark of the Covenant opening,” she said.
In a recent interview about her Disney exit, Kennedy said was interested exploring the possibilities of AI as it relates to filmmaking. She clarified to Variety that she wished “it was called augmented reality, not artificial intelligence. Many of us in the industry absolutely are committed to human beings and a human point of view. [We’ll see] if these tools can end up augmenting that process, speed things up and find a place in the flow of creativity. That’s what I find quite intriguing about some of these tools. But, to actually replace human beings in the process? No.”
Kennedy has received eight Oscar nominations over her career. Films released on her watch include the highest-grossing domestic film of all time, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” as well as “Rogue One,” “The Last Jedi” and “Solo.” Her remaining projects as a producer at Lucasfilm include the imminent release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” and the forthcoming Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars vehicle “Star Fighter.”
Prior to joining the Disney label, Kennedy served as producer or executive producer more than 70 feature films, collectively garnering 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Those titles include “Jurassic Park,” “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” “The Sixth Sense,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Gremlins” and “The Goonies.”
Kennedy’s other accolades include a BAFTA fellowship and a CBE Award. She’s served as board chair for the AFI, and was one of the founding Council Members of the Hollywood Commission to Eliminate Sexual Harassment and Advance Equality. Kennedy is currently on the board of the LA Promise Fund, Library of America and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
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