"For the film I shot around 25 moments for a montage that happens between my character and Jessica Alba who I'm courting in the film," Cook says. "In the shots we spend a lot of time talking to each other on the phone in the movie. It's a lot of laughing and us reacting to each other. So you're going to see me for a series of shots talking but you're not going to hear what I'm saying because of the music. Every time they rolled camera, the director Mark Helfrich would be like, 'Okay, Dane I need you to just laugh a little bit and be touched by what she's saying but just be talking about something.'"
"So whether I was making pancakes or brushing my teeth in the montage shot, you won't know it watching in the audience, but I'm totally just saying fun facts about Star Wars," Cook laughs. "I'm driving and smiling and it looks like I'm flirting with Jessica, but I'm really talking about Jawas and how they live on Tatooine. In every single shot I'm going on and on about Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, or R2-D2 or Luke. Hopefully on the DVD release of the film, for the extras we'll pull the montage music off and play in order all the montage moments when I was talking about Star Wars. It'll be funny to see me fixing my hair in the mirror as I'm getting ready for my date with Jessica's character and I'm telling the mirror, 'Force is strong with this one.' And no one has any clue I'm completely geeking out."
Playing Six Degrees of Separation between Jessica Alba and Darth Vader isn't too difficult for Cook, considering that his co-star had recently finished shooting another film called Awake with Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen. "When you're shooting those montage scenes, you're not physically there together, so I called her later and let her know that I was talking about Star Wars for nine hours in those scenes and she got a real kick out of it," Cook smiles.
Wooing women with Star Wars seems to be working for Cook. After years of keeping his appreciation for the saga in the proverbial geek closet, he's happy to admit he finally found someone who appreciates his fondness for droids, Jedi and Sith Lords. "My girlfriend and I watched the special edition DVD box set just a few months ago," Cook says. "And I have to say, it's so fantastic in this point of my life to finally meet a girl who shares my love of Star Wars."
"Too tell you the truth, I'm excited to see the unaltered films on DVD," Cook says. "I want to see that Han Solo - Greedo moment in its purest form. And to see the cantina scene for what it originally was. For me, growing up with those originals made a profound impact on me. Like the first time I heard Guns 'N Roses' Appetite for Destruction . You'll always remember that first time you played it. People can cover it, remix it, mash it up or whatever, but it's always the original that brings back the fondest memories. So I will definitely be partaking in the original, unaltered Star Wars films."
Considering all the scenes to choose from, when asked about his favorite moment in the saga, Cook is all about the Wookiee. "The scene where they're all on Cloud City and Lando is being a Benedict Arnold as he walks into the room where Vader is waiting to ambush them. That moment where Chewbacca just screams in frustration and shock -- it's the most primal Chewie moment. You don't understand what Chewbacca is saying but you feel it -- which is a true testament to good character building. You don't know what he's saying but you're invested."
"I also love the moment with the Emperor at the end of Return of the Jedi when he and Luke are going toe to toe and he wants him to join the dark side," Cook adds. "Luke throws that lightsaber and says 'I'll never join you. I'm a Jedi like my father before me.' It's this unbelievable full circle moment when the Emperor actually calls him a Jedi with this tone of disgust. I'm definitely a fan to the bone, if you can tell."
