Star Wars Episode 7 Actress Speaks About Villainous Role

One of the most intriguing new characters in the upcoming Star Wars Episode 7 - The Force Awakens is the chrome-helmeted villain Captain Phasma. To date, very little has been revealed about Phasma, but now the actress playing the role has spoken about the challenges of playing her.

In an interview with Variety, Gwendoline Christie--best known for her role as Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones--explained how she and director JJ Abrams approached the character.

"It was very important to JJ that I was there acting a part," she said. "I found it to be a really interesting acting challenge, not just because of what I felt this character was representing. It was never like a manifesto, 'this is what it must be'--and it was exciting to me to have that weight of responsibility taken away, of having to be a certain way as a woman, to have to be mindful in a way that isn't always useful.

"It meant that as an actor I had to focus on other things. I had to focus on what my body was communicating and what exactly my voice is communicating. It becomes about the way in which you hold your hand, the way in which you walk, where your weight lies, and what you want that to mean, and I wanted to give the character identity.

"I thought it was interesting to make something about the character identifiably female in a non-superficial way, and I hope that comes across."

In other Star Wars news, MakingStarWars.net have reported two separate rumours concerning Darth Vader. The first is that elements from the legendary Sith Lord's suit have been spotted on the set of Rogue One, the Star Wars spinoff that is currently shooting in London. Since Gareth Edwards' film is set before the original 1977 movie, it does seem very possible that Vader might make an appearance.

The other rumour concerns Hayden Christensen, the actor who portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the Stars Wars prequels. According to the site, "a team in the UK are soon heading to the US to begin training Hayden Christensen for a Star Wars Episode 8 appearance of some sort."

Star Wars Episode 7 - The Force Awakens is due for release on December 18, 2015, while Rogue One arrives on December 16, 2016.