Through a series of interviews, actress Gwendoline Christie has shed more on her character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though she refrained from spoiling any major details about Captain Phasma, Christie did liken her character to that of another iconic Star Wars villain — Boba Fett.
"She is a Boba Fett-style character," Christie told the LA Times, "which means she makes a lot of impact but she's not at the forefront of the action all the time."
Christie's role as Captain Phasma made headlines earlier this year as it marks the first time in the core Star Wars film saga we'll see a true female villain, barring any plot twists. From how Christie described her character, that doesn't seem likely.
"She's Star Wars' first female villain," the actress told EW. “It’s incredible, it’s timely, and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”
Christie has been praised for her role, particularly because of the acting she's done while dressed head-to-toe in armor. In fact, it's that intimidating armor that sets Captain Phasma apart from most other female characters in Star Wars.
“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,” she added. “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 are actually connecting to a female character as a human being,” Christie continued. “It wasn’t just about what I was expressing above the neck, it was also as focused on what I was expressing below the neck."
“It was an interesting acting experience as well as a fangirl’s dream.”
Captain Phasma is easily one of the more intriguing villains in The Force Awakens, if only because she seems completely unpredictable. Knowing that she'll have a major impact on the story only adds to the mystery and excitement surrounding the character.
How do you feel about Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma from what we've seen?
