Carrie-Anne Moss Reveals How Star Wars’ New “Force-Fu” Fighting Works

During a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Moss explained the unique blend of martial arts and Jedi Force skills employed by her character, dubbed by many as “Force-Fu.” Explaining that while her character’s fight sequences are largely based in traditional kung fu, a special choreographer was available on set to help Moss determine how Indara would integrate use of the Force into the sequence. Check out her comments and the video below:

I think that the energy of a Jedi with that, you know how they talk about that kung fu kind of Force field. I love that idea, that we all have this energetic system and these Jedi are training to have that energetic system. So that was really interesting, I’m a meditator, so that’s a concept that I like…

They had a woman on set who helped you discover your way that you would do that. Bring that Force in, and so they used a lot of kung fu moves. The fighting is all really based in kung fu, and then just finding your way of doing the Force. I just trusted that I would know, but I did have some help.

Force-Fu Was Introduced In Ahsoka, But This Is So Much Cooler

Jedi Master Indara Is Not The Only One Who Has Used The Technique

While Moss’s Force-Fu sequence teased in The Acolyte trailer offers a new take on how a Jedi can use the Force, this is not the first time Star Wars has flirted with the Force-assisted martial arts form. In 2023’s Star Wars: Ahsoka, the stranded Jedi Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) can also be seen utilizing a similar fighting technique when facing Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). However, where Ezra seemingly used the fighting method only because he had no lightsaber of his own, Moss’s Master Indara appears to use it in preference to drawing her weapon.

As a Jedi Master whose depth of training and experience would far exceed Ezra’s own, not only would Master Indara be far more adept at blending Force techniques with more traditional fighting styles, but she would also be far more attuned to the underlying precepts of the Jedi order. Directly echoing the sentiment first espoused by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Indara’s decision to rely on Force-Fu rather than igniting her own lightsaber harkens back to the core Jedi principle that “a Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack.”

Moreover, the fact that it is Moss herself making use of the fighting style is no coincidence, and it has already been established that the callback to her role in The Matrix is intentional on Headland’s part. Whether The Acolyte’s use of Force-Fu will serve to be as memorable as Trinity’s kung fu moves in The Matrix remains to be seen, though the prospect of “Trinity with a lightsaber” is an exciting prospect for sci-fi fans of all stripes.