Young actors reflect on 'The Last Jedi' roles

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" opens Friday, featuring darkness and light, seriousness and silliness, as well as characters who are familiar and new.

Actor John Boyega who played Stormtrooper deserter Finn in episode seven, "The Force Awakens," talked about episode 8 and what the director called a "meat grinder."

"Let's just say Finn's skin is not the same quality as it is starting off in this film," Boyega said. "There's a lot of bleeding so, yeah, Rian put these characters through it. That's the benefit of this story. We're moving on, there's bigger challenges, there's bigger obstacles, something we face in this film."

Newbie Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose, said she needed a "pinch" to believe that this was her first real film role. New to the franchise, the 28 year old plays a Resistance mechanic who idolizes Finn.

"I think you walk on set and you see Finn or you see Poe or you see C-3PO, you see these iconic characters, and it's really a mind-boggling thing," Tran said.

The two actors enjoyed working with each other.

"She's great. Kelly comes from a comedy background, improv background so she really suits this universe," Boyega said of Tran. "She is a generous actress in scene. I am proud of her because every time I looked at her on set it was almost like what happened to me during episode 7."

Tran said of Boyega: "I love him so much. He's so open and funny and so talented. Every single scene we did together felt like we were playing."

As an Asian American women, Tran said she knows girls will be looking up to her.

"From the beginning it felt like both an honor and a responsibility," she said. "I've always felt that I wish it wasn't like that, I wish that there were so many Asian-Americans in American films that we wouldn't have to feel like this is groundbreaking ... I hope I can do it justice."