Skeleton Crew's Kyriana Kratter Reveals the Hardest Thing About Playing KB

In its opening episodes, Skeleton Crew captures the childlike wonder so many of us had when we first experienced the magical world of Star Wars. And, for the first time outside of animated shows, the audience surrogates in Skeleton Crew are actual children, acting as a kind of mash-up of the Stranger Things gang and The Goonies, traversing the faraway galaxy in a stolen pirate ship. Among this group of four, the character of KB was initially a puzzle for Star Wars fans. Was she a cyborg? A new kind of droid? Something else?

Turns out, outside of some cybernetic modifications, KB is simply a human. Her “mods” were the result of an accident, meaning, that like Darth Vader, KB relies on science-fictional technology to survive. But unlike Vader, KB is a true hero, and as many fans pointed out, her presence in Skeleton Crew presented disability in Star Wars with much more care and nuance than ever before.

As Skeleton Crew wrapped up, Inverse got in touch with the young actress behind KB, Kyriana Kratter. She revealed what it was like to get into character, what she hopes for the future, and why Jude Law is legitimately terrifying in real life.

What for you was the most difficult thing about playing this character?

It’s so weird. I got the audition for the role in January 2022, and it’s been three years now. But, when I initially auditioned for the role, I was pretty expressive with my eyes because when I was reading the script, I was like, okay, so she's probably a little bit robot. I don't know if she's a complete robot or if she's just kind of monotone, I guess. And so I used my eyes a lot. And then when I got the role and I got an email of what my character was going to look like, I was like, wow, my eyes are covered.

And so I think the hardest part was just relearning acting and having to use different parts of my face to express how I'm feeling. Sometimes I would have to do more than I think would work to make sure people could see what I'm feeling. But yeah, that was the hardest part.

Were you aware that’s exactly what LeVar Burton went through [playing Geordi La Forge] on Star Trek: The Next Generation?

I think I did know that. But now, I want to meet him.

Jude Law’s character Jod is straight-up terrifying by the end of the show. How did you convey that level of fear?

In Episode 7, when he’s yelling at us, the first time it happened, I started crying. I was just feeling it from him. He gave me a hug and apologized, afterward. But it wasn’t acting. I was just kind of feeling it at the moment. That was the energy he was giving off in that scene.

What was your Star Wars experience before this? Did you feel like you had to do a lot of research?

I didn't really have to do too much research. For a long time, Star Wars has been in my family. My brother and I had Star Wars pajamas. My dad is a big fan. When I first watched A New Hope, I thought Han Solo was my dad.

As you mentioned, you’re older now than when you took on the role. Could you imagine coming to KB in the future? Even in 10 years?

Definitely. I feel like if there is more of KB in the future, I feel like she has so much backstory to explore, and there's so much to her. She's so complex, and I was so curious about her character when I got it for the first time because there wasn't too much. And so I had a list of questions for Jon Watts and Chris Ford, but they kept it very open.

What was at the top of that list of questions?

Probably what “KB” stands for.

What does it stand for?

I can't say. It's a secret.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is streaming on Disney+.