In Star Wars, Adam Driver plays a surly, isolated individual named Kylo Ren, but who are his friends in real life?
Among his closest friends are his Star Wars colleague Daisy Ridley, and actors Charlize Theron, Ben Affleck, and Olga Kurylenko. They’ve shared close moments, articles, snaps, and projects with Adam Driver over the years of their varied careers.
Read on to learn more about Adam Driver and his personal life.
From Soldier To Screen
Before he was one of Hollywood’s leading men, Adam Driver was a soldier. To be more precise, he was a United States Marine. After leaving high school, he bounced from job to job, never finding something that really suited him.
Reportedly, he applied to attend the Juilliard School, one of the most prominent institutions for performing arts. However, he wasn’t successful in his application and enlisted in the U.S. military shortly after.
He was allegedly driven to join the armed forces following the event of September 11. On this day, in 2001, the worst terrorist atrocity ever to occur on American soil happened. The ‘twin towers’ in the World Trade Center in New York were violently destroyed by two hijacked airplanes, claiming almost three thousand lives.
After his successful application to the United States Marines, Driver was assigned to work as a mortar operator, in a Weapons Company. He actively served for almost three years but was ultimately medically discharged following a chest injury.
When he’d officially left the military, he began pursuing acting once again. Driver joined the University of Indianapolis and spent a brief stint studying there. He eventually managed to join the ranks of Juilliard and began learning in earnest how to be an actor.
Allegedly, he found it hard to integrate with “regular life” after leaving the Marines. Although he showed promise as an actor, the tall and imposing ex-Marine frightened his classmates. It’s reported that they saw him as an ‘intimidating and volatile figure’.
The Friendship Factor
Once Adam Driver had secured a firm education at Juilliard, he moved on to professional acting. It wouldn’t take long, as, by 2009, he’d be appearing in bit parts on television shows. In 2011, he landed his first movie role. Surprisingly, this was in a fairly sizable production, directed by Clint Eastwood.
In the lead up to his biggest role, in Star Wars, Driver worked with some big names. He was directed by the likes of the Coen brothers, Steven Spielberg, and Noah Baumbach. On his path, he made some notable friends in the industry.
The friendship that was most publicized was between Driver and Daisy Ridley. The latter was a less successful actor when she appeared alongside Driver in the 2015 hit, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, their friendship would blossom as they worked together on the saga over the following half-decade.
You can see a great video below showing Driver acting in this movie, with appearances from Daisy Ridley.
Star Wars marked their first appearance in a production together. Reportedly, they spent a lot of time both on and off camera complimenting each other and joking around together. The basis of the story they played out on screen saw the two sharing a considerable amount of screen – and set – time together.
Driver has also been seen sharing intimate moments with other leading ladies of Hollywood. In 2019 he was snapped having a close conversation with Charlize Theron. Reportedly, the two were friends and had been seen before sharing a few moments at awards shows.
Also seen online, in 2018, was a picture of Adam Driver and Olga Kurylenko. The two shared a few selfies together, looking very comfortable with one another. The pair also worked together to promote a movie they worked on, attending the Cannes Festival together.
One friend of Driver’s was unexpectedly brought into the spotlight in an article in 2020. Apparently, Ben Affleck and Driver became good friends after working on a production together. Reportedly, Adam Driver provided a birthday message for Affleck’s son, a huge Star Wars fan, and the moment was ‘incredibly moving’.
Over the course of his life, Driver had transitioned from a directionless misfit to a soldier, to a top-class actor. It’s an unlikely path to follow, but it’s worked out well for Driver who, arguably, hasn’t even yet peaked in his career. Only time will tell where he goes next.