Cal Kestis Actor Calls the Jedi His Favorite Role Yet

Cameron Monaghan has played his fair share of franchise favorites, but if you ask him which one he is most attached to, he keeps coming back to the same name: Cal Kestis from the Star Wars Jedi games. Honestly, same.

Cal Kestis, but make it LEGO

Monaghan talked about Cal at a recent fan screening tied to the new season of the animated miniseries LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past, which hit Disney Plus last month. The show skews younger and, yes, Cal pops up in two episodes. For a character who usually lives in life-or-death situations and constant identity crises, seeing him bricked-up and cracking jokes is a real pivot.

"He's easily one of my favorite characters, if not my favorite character, I've ever gotten to play."

Monaghan said the games, Fallen Order and Survivor, are built for older players and put Cal through the wringer. Getting to loosen the guy up for a lighter, kid-friendly vibe was, in his words, a joy and a chance to see Cal from a totally different angle. Inside baseball note: if you know the Respawn games, you know Cal is a magnet for peril and existential angst, so the LEGO detour is a rare palate cleanser.

Yes, Jedi 3 is happening

Monaghan casually let it slip back in 2023 that a third game starring Cal is in development, and that work was underway at the time. He also made it clear he would be into playing Cal in live action someday, but only if the project was the right fit.

Elsewhere in the franchise sandbox

• Gotham: Monaghan played twins Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, who function as the show's proto-origins for the Joker.
• DC animation: He voiced Kon-El, aka Superboy, in the 2019 film Reign of the Supermen.
• Tron: He is part of Tron: Ares alongside Jared Leto, playing Caius, a combat program on Ares' elite special forces unit.

Tron: Ares is set to hit theaters on October 10.