I caught up with Singer/Songwriter/Actress Bonnie Piesse “Aunt Beru”  (Star Wars Episode II and Episode III) and her husband Mark Vicente Writer/Producer/Director (What the Bleep) in Upstate New York in December right before they attended the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Los Angeles.

Q: Because of your roles in two Star Wars movies, you have an invite to perhaps one of the largest film premieres in history. Are you excited?

Bonnie: Yeah I can’t wait! The whole Star Wars universe has become really meaningful to me over the years and I’m so honored to be walking the red carpet and can’t wait to see the movie.

Q: Can I ask what you’ll be wearing on the red carpet?

Bonnie: I’m wearing an amazing sequined gown that Andre Soriano made for me! When he finished the final stitches and I tried it on I was totally blown away.

Q: So Bonnie, exactly how did an Australian girl get a role in Star Wars?

Bonnie: When I was about 13, I was a springboard diver and a friend had a modeling/acting agent and told me about the jobs they’d been doing. It sounded like fun, so I had her introduce me to the agent. From there I got a role in Australian Television Series ‘High Flyers’ and continued working in Australian TV for a few years. My agent then got a random call from Star Wars casting director Robin Gurland saying they wanted to meet me for a role in ‘Attack of the Clones’. I was beside myself with excitement and to cut a long story short, I ended up getting the role and found myself shooting in Tunisia with George Lucas, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Joel Egerton, Jack Thompson among others. At the time, I didn’t really understand what it meant to be in a Star Wars movie. People told me it’d change my life forever, but it was all very surreal and even 13 years later (Attack of the Clones was released in 2002) it’s still having a pretty profound effect on my life. I get to travel around the world to meet fans and am so grateful for how supportive the Star Wars fanbase has been of my music etc. (I raised the funds for my ‘Bittersweet EP’ through social media, and largely thanks to Star Wars fans).

Q: So what have you been up to in the last few years?

Bonnie: I composed some music and sang in a few film soundtracks (‘Expecting‘, ‘Encender El Corazon‘ and ‘The Three Hikers‘), which has been super exciting because I love music and I love film and to bring the two together is a dream come true. I’ve been writing a lot of songs and have just recently started recording a new album, which thanks to Mark’s encouragement and support, I’ve decided to produce myself. I’ve also been recording music for ‘The Bridge’, a film by Bobby Field which I’ll be singing and acting in soon. I’ve also been pretty busy working with some human performance companies and curriculums Mark introduced me to (including exo|eso, The Source and ESP).

Q: Mark, I hear there’s a really cool story about how you and Bonnie met?

Mark: Yeah, a dear friend of mine who starred in Battlestar Galactica would goto a lot of sci-fi conventions to do appearances. She, like many others, knew I was a Star Wars fan. She came back from one of these conventions and told me she’d met this wonderful actress Bonnie Piesse from Star Wars who also loved What the Bleep and that we should definitely meet. So we set up a meeting in Hollywood.

Q: So were there sparks at that point?

Mark: Not then. But we really enjoyed hanging out. I took her to meet a bunch of my friends and listen to my buddy Mark Hildreth play at a club on Sunset.  We had a great time.

Q: So you met but what about the falling on love part?

Mark: It’s when I heard her sing!

Bonnie: For me it was a little earlier.

Mark: We went to see a show together. We shared wine, listened to music. Then after the show I was going to drive her home and I mentioned that I’d never heard her sing and did she have a CD so I could hear her music? She did one better and said she’d play for me live. The moment she began singing it was all over. I was smitten. She had the voice of an angel. It was almost other worldly in it’s beauty.

Q: And Bonnie, your version?

Bonnie: Well when we first met I didn’t think anything of it romantically either, I just thought he was a great guy and I was a big fan of ‘What The Bleep‘. Then when we reconnected a few years later, as we were sipping green tea matcha lattes at Urth Cafe in Santa Monica, it struck me how deep and present and real he was compared to a lot of the people I’d met in LA and after I left the meeting, I kind of realized I had feelings for him. It was really pretty simple… a moment of realization. A few days later we met at Largo and then went up to his place for tea and some singing and I actually came right out with it and told him I had feelings for him. I guess that could have scared him off, but it seems to have worked out ok! (Laughs)

Q: Mark you’ve said Star Wars was the reason you wanted to become a filmmaker. You’ve shared some of it in your Ted Talk but I’d love readers to hear the whole story.

Mark: Well there was an incident that happened when I lived in the bush with my grandparents outside of Johannesburg in a little place called Broederstroom. Growing up in Apartheid era I saw a number of things in my early childhood I found very disturbing. I couldn’t understand why people were killing each other and why there was hatred amongst the races. I remember going with my grandparents to a Zulu musical called Ipi Tombi when I was 9 years old. I loved it and asked if I could get the cassette of the music (Yeah it was that long ago) I went home, found some old tins, turned on the soundtrack, stared at the hills that surrounded my grandparents property and began drumming on the tin drums. Something happened to me. I felt this surge of energy shoot up my spine hit me heart and the explode in my head and I remember crying with joy and yearning. In the amazing state I suddenly realized that if other people felt this feeling I was having they would never hurt one another, say mean stuff to each other or kill other people. So all I had to do was get people to feel that feeling. My plan was to build really massive speakers that could get the sound over the valley and maybe al the way to the ocean so the whole country could hear that and feel that. I had no idea how to build speakers that big so I decided I’d keep on figuring out how to do it. Cut to Age 13. I was in Lisbon with my parents in 1978 and they took me to see this film Star Wars. I was ecstatic. I walked out thunderstruck. Not just because it was an amazing mythical story but because I had found my speakers. Movies. I decided in that moment that I would be a filmmaker. George Lucas and others from that era became my idols.

Q: So you’ve also been doing a great deal since What the Bleep. Did your life change dramatically when that film was released?

Mark: Dramatically. I travelled to many countries and gained access to some truly amazing people. After making Bleep I was looking for a more scientific approach to consciousness and more effective ways to inspire humanity in audiences. I had the good fortune of being introduced to a really cool scientist, Keith Raniere , who combined Physics, Mathematics, Biology and Computer Science into a method to help people ‘hack’ their programming. The patent office still doesn’t know what to make of it so they’ve filed it under artificial intelligence. We’ve been working together for a number of years now on a variety of amazing ventures and projects.

Q: And what projects are you currently doing?

Mark: I’ve been working on a film about the violence that’s been gripping Mexico called Encender el Corazon. That will be released in early 2016. Bonnie actually sings on a few tracks from the film score. Also, I’m currently writing the next show for Anima Inc, the Emmy Nominated Live Event and Dance Company based in Mexico City. I have two Sci-Fi projects in early development and a film called “The Carbon Crimes” in Pre-Production.

Q: I heard that’s only half of your time? What about the other half.

Mark: Right! (laughing) I also am one of the founders of a Men’s movement called The Society of Protectors and the co-owner of two ESP centers in Los Angeles and Vancouver which utilize the ground-breaking intellectual tools of Keith Raniere and an incredible acting curriculum called The Source which Bonnie and I are both involved in with our friend Allison Mack.

Q: You’re involved in such different fields.

Mark: Not really. It’s all the same thing. I have a belief that in order to create the kind of work that transforms people, you as the artist need to BE the kind of person capable of understanding yourself and humanity in a very deep way. All the things I do in terms of personal development are like a character gym; where I can work on strengthening and deepening by vision, nobility, ethics and empathy.

Q: Bonnie is that what drew you too him?

Bonnie: Yeah that was a big part of it. I really love his depth and we have really similar dreams- wanting to move people through our various creative endeavors.

Q: Bonnie, any chance you’ll be in the any of the upcoming Star Wars films being planned?

Bonnie: Not that I’ve heard yet! I did hear a rumor that there may be some kind of Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off (or even trilogy) and I’d be super excited to be a part of that… hint hint Lucas Film/Disney! I’d love to bring Beru to life again given the opportunity. But for now I’m just looking forward to going to the Premiere of ’The Force Awakens’ and seeing what they’ve been up to!