Abrams skirts Oscars talk for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

PASADENA, California — J.J. Abrams, director of the blockbuster "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," is deflecting Oscars talk for himself but is hoping other people involved in the film will see their work recognized.

Academy Awards nominations will be announced Thursday. Abrams said that the gift of working on the franchise was enough, and that he didn't need further validation. But there are co-workers he would be disappointed for if they didn't get nominated. He declined to name any of them.

"If I name eight people, the ninth person will be like, 'thanks,'" he said at a news conference on Saturday.

He said he's grateful to anyone who's seen the movie, which has become the top-grossing American film of all time as it nears $800 million in earnings. It was released last month.

"I hear anecdotally that some people have gone to see the movie seven or eight times," he said. "I just want to apologize to their parents."