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The veteran composer received his 51st nomination (the most by any living person) for the score to Rian Johnson’s space epic. Williams, 85, has won the Oscar five times — for Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws, Star Wars: A New Hope, E.T. and Schindler’s List. He has worked on every Star Wars movie (two years ago he was nominated for his score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and he is working on the upcoming Han Solo stand-alone, Solo), which presents him with the challenge of honoring his past work and the iconic scores that fans love while also creating something new. For The Last Jedi, Williams brought in themes for the new characters joining a galaxy far, far away including Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) and new relationships being explored such as those of Rose and Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Ridley) and Kylo (Adam Driver).
This story first appeared in the Jan. 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.