Star Wars has just pulled off a massively heartbreaking twist in Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 5 with the tragic murders of both Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), two fan-favorite characters – but the actors are more lighthearted about it than audiences may expect. The Acolyte episode 5 will go down in history as one of Star Wars’ most brutal additions yet, with plenty of Jedi meeting their fate at the hands of Manny Jacinto’s ominous Sith Lord. For Keen and Barnett, however, this was no surprise, and they were ready for it.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, both Keen and Barnett were given the chance to reflect on their characters’ shocking deaths, which they were able to make some amusement out of. Keen shares that her initial reaction to hearing that her character would die early on was to say “I love playing dead!” For Barnett, getting to know about his character’s death ahead of time made it “a little more fun.” Keen and Barnett would often joke about it on set, with Keen even sharing that they would often say “Peace out, we’re dying in two weeks!”

Still, this was a brutal event to witness, even when they knew it was coming. Barnett discusses how he was asked if he wanted to watch Keen’s death scene as it was being filmed, which prompted him to respond with “No, are you f—ing kidding me? I love her.“ He went on to add that it would be “just visceral and f—ed up and sad. No, I don’t need all that.’” Keen, however, had a more positive outlook on her death. She confesses that she “had so much fun doing the death,” and was honored to unmask the Sith Lord.

The Acolyte Is Star Wars At Its Most Brutal

But At Least The Actors Have Good Spirits About It

This slaughter by Jacinto’s Sith Lord is no doubt one of Star Wars’ most brutal scenes, if not its most brutal. While Jecki’s and Yord’s deaths are easily the hardest for viewers to digest, they are not the only Jedi who suffer a horrid fate at the Sith Lord’s hands. From a double impalement to a decapitation, it’s absolutely heart-pounding and gut-wrenching to watch these Jedi meet their fates on Khofar. The characters’ reactions to it, such as Master Sol’s fury-driven attack on the Sith Lord, only make it even more devastating.

Knowing how the actors feel about it, however, makes that burden just a little bit lighter. Keen and Barnett being able to have fun with what was going to happen to their characters allows viewers to do the same in a way, which, in turn, makes it easier to process. Still, there’s no doubt the absence of these characters will be heavily felt as The Acolyte moves on without them, culminating in the third act of its thrilling story.

The Acolyte episode 5 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays on Disney+.