POST SCOOP: ‘Star Wars’ Character Based on Late Pali High English Teacher, Abrams Tells Palisadian-Post
Director J.J. Abrams, a Pacific Palisades resident and graduate of Palisades Charter High School, revealed to his hometown newspaper the Palisadian-Post that he based one of the characters in his box-office record-breaking “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on his late high school English teacher.
“Yes, the character of Maz was originally based on the great Rose Gilbert,” Abrams told the Post. “We really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life.”
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Photo collage courtesy of Karyn Newbill-Helmig. Photo of Rose Gilbert courtesy of Jeanette Mills.
Photo caption: Maz (left) and Rose Gilbert (right) | 
