I missed this day because of work and performing in a show, so I’d like to show everyone an abridged version of the letter I mailed Riz for his birthday.
“I went into Rogue One expecting Jyn Erso to be my new favorite Star Wars character. But she wasn’t. An anxious, every-man thrown into the line of battle became my favorite character. Here was this guy, this nobody, who listened to his heart, and through the power of Disney, literally became the reason for the Rebellion. But it wasn’t even that. He was just a guy. Just, some guy. He was brave and moral and probably the most related Star Wars character ever.
So I became a fan of this guy, and realized that regardless of the actor’s race, there was just absolutely no merchandise for him. No, I’m not a collector. But, I mean, just the few select t-shirts? Maybe a figurine? Everyone is obsessed with those Pop! Figures, what about them? Nope. Nothing. Then the DVD came out. You’re not even listed on the back of the DVD. Like, how? How is that possible? And not just the US release. You’re not even on the Japanese DVD!
Bodhi Rook, hero of the Rebellion, was being grossly under represented. So I started pointing it out every chance I got. Every single one of my friends now knows that when they’re looking at Rogue One merchandise, they need to make sure the entire crew is there before they show me.
You know. You get the point. I could go on and on. But I’d like this to be about something else.
I decided to cosplay Bodhi Rook. My favorite character in all of Star Wars. Just one of about 20 of us total. I’d rather be 9 people’s favorite thing than a 100 people’s ninth favorite thing.
I became the second Bodhi Rook to be approved in the entire world for the Rebel Legion. The first is from Utah. Several months later one was approved in the U.K. As of November 25th, there are still only three of us.
So, here I am, happily getting to portray my favorite character. I got to meet fans at a baseball game that had over 10,000 attendees. A few months later, I got to walk on the field at Yankee Stadium as Bodhi Rook!
And? No one knew who I was. 11 months after Rogue One came out, and in the, probably, over 50,000 people I’ve interacted with or that have seen me, I’ve had about a dozen people recognize me. I had one boy, maybe 10 years old, know who I was and be genuinely excited to meet me. And that’s fine. In fact, for that one moment, I knew that what I was doing made a kid excited and that everything was worthwhile.
As the months progressed, I start to realize that I can’t do anything about under representation. Or can I?
Now we’ve moved past just Bodhi Rook. I can’t make people know who you are. But me? I can continue to be out there. To do charity work as Bodhi. As a cosplayer, whether or not we realize it, we have an opportunity to say: “here I am, and here is this character. Pay attention.”
Maybe I’m horribly wrong. Maybe it’s just absurd what I’m doing. But if I’m not doing it, who else is? I follow every single Bodhi Rook cosplayer on Instagram. And several of them have reached out to me, asking me how I did my costume. And I answer every question they have. If I wasn’t out there, if I wasn’t putting the time and dedication into this character as I know you did (as you do with everything), then far less people would have an appreciation for him. For you.
You’ve inspired me to be more active. To speak my voice more. I’m a very timid person when I’m not on stage, but I just can’t stand the world we live in, and I need to speak up. Every single day I turn on the news, I’m constantly afraid something even more devastating than the day before will have occurred. So I’m engaging in conversations more than I used to. I live in bigoted, racist upstate NY, and I will not stand for prejudices any more. If I can be a small voice for others, maybe, just maybe I’ll get someone to look up something and find out they’re wrong. Or they’ll educate themselves further. It all starts with a spark.
I’ve become active and involved. And I will continue to be a trooper for Bodhi and all that he, and you, stand for. Because he stands for much more than just a hero in Star Wars. He’s a hero in real life. You’re a hero, Riz. My hero.”
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