Gwendoline Christie is no damsel in distress. She looks like a real life Amazon and has made a career out of playing powerful women in fantasy and science fiction. Next up is the New Order villain Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and according to her latest interview with Entertainment Weekly, Christie is more than ready to unleash her on fans.
“We know very little about her at this stage, but what I think people are drawn to is that this is a very progressive female character,” the actress says. “We see Captain Phasma, and we see the costume from head to toe, and we know that it is a woman. But we are used to, in our media, connecting to female characters via the way that they look, from the way they are made flesh.”
We’re still unsure if we’ll even see Christie’s actual face beneath the chrome dome, but a female character not reduced to her looks or sexual appeal is truly thrilling. The idea of a female villain is pretty progressive, and Christie is definitely up to the challenge.
“We are actually connecting to a female character as a human being… She’s Star Wars’ first female villain,” Christie says. “It’s incredible, it’s timely, and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”
Technically, Zam Wessell from Attack Of The Clones was the first female villain in Star Wars, but we won’t begrudge Christie blocking the prequels from her memory. Still, Christie was impacted by Star Wars like so many were as a children, so being a part of the franchise is a dream come true.
“It’s one of the first Christmases I remember, and A New Hope was on the television. I really just fell in love with it,” the actress recalls. “I remember very distinctly adoring Princess Leia, because even in my infant mind, I thought, ‘Gosh, that’s a woman with strength.’”
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
