Wait' — Rogue One' Star Jiang Wen Never Saw a 'Star Wars' Film Before?!

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Before Star Wars fans start feeling miffed that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor Jiang Wen has never seen the original films, he wants them to know it’s not his fault.

“To be honest, I never saw [them], even now,” the Chinese actor, 53, revealed during a recent sit down with People Now.

But he was quick to add, “That’s not my fault, at that time there was a Cold War, right? If there’s Cold War, no Star Wars in China.”

Nowadays, Star Wars is just as big in China as it is in the United States, but it was Rogue One director Gareth Edwards who asked Wen to hold off on watching the originals.

“I told that to Gareth,” Wen said of not seeing the films. “I said I never saw Star Wars, but Gareth said, ‘Yeah, this is good, just keep it [that way]. After [we] finish, you can see it.’ ”

Lucasfilm Ltd.

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Rogue One tells the story of a band of rebel fighters who embark on a desperate mission to steal the plans to the Death Star before the Empire can crush the rebellion — the plans Princess Leia would end up hiding in R2-D2 at the beginning of 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope.

In the film, Wen plays Baze Malbus, a soldier devoted to protecting Donnie Yen’s character, Chirrut Imwe, a believer of the Force and the Jedi way.

Come back to PEOPLE.com every day until Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters Dec. 16 for more exclusive videos, photos and secrets from the year’s most anticipated movie. Check out all our coverage at PEOPLE.com/starwars.