Gwendolline Christie on the Decision of Keeping Captain Phasma’s Helmet on in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Many people were a bit disappointed when the widely promoted Captain Phasma didn’t get too much screen time in The Force Awakens. A few arguments were made whether an actress from such caliber should be hired for a character that doesn’t show its face. Now speaking with EW, the actress herself shared her thoughts on the matter.
EW spoke with actress Gwendolline Christie and asked about her thoughts on Captain Phasma never removing her helmet in The Force Awakens. Here’s what she said:
“I thought it was a really interesting opportunity because as an actor I’m interested in transformation and different kinds of roles,” Christie told EW. “What’s the role about? Who is the character? What does the character mean in the function of a project or story? I thought it was a really interesting opportunity to play a female character where we formed an opinion of her based on her actions rather than the way she has been made flesh. And that concept within a Star Wars movie, a mainstream phenomenon, was very modern and interesting and exciting.
I made no secret of the fact I wanted to be in the film, I campaigned hard to be in the film, but to be in it as that kind of character – she’s a woman, she’s in armor, the armor isn’t sexualized, and in the film we don’t see the actor’s face – I thought that was an exciting, modern concept. And obviously, I’m delighted to be in another film [Episode VIII].”
We are definitely looking forward to find out more about Phasma, especially after Kathleen Kennedy officially revealed that they have bigger plans for the character in Episode VIII.
Now comes the logical question. Does Phasma have future as a First Order Captain, after what she did in The Force Awakens? Lowering the Starkiller shield is not just a random act that could be forgiven. Will she get a second chance, or maybe her story will depart from the First Order?
I personally think that if there is one character who could switch sides in Episode VIII, this will be Phasma. She was never portrayed as an evil character in TFA. Actually in the novel she was described as soldier who respects honor and discipline. And I really have hard times picturing the lovely and cheerful Gwendoline as the big baddie in the movie. She is yet to play a real villain role in her career, but of course such things doesn’t mean much in Hollywood. These are just my personal thoughts.
What do you think? Will Phasma remain among the First Order lines or maybe there will be a different fate for her? Tell us in the comments below.
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Again, I cite the clone theory. I think the Phasma we’ll see in 8 is a clone of herself.
Captain Phase… meh
Captain Phaasma
Honestly, I`d rather have her screentime go to Kylo and/or Hux – the two are played by great actors and their relationship is a very interesting one.
I just dont care about Phasma, sorry.
I agree. Phasma’s cool, but the Hux/Kylo rivalry is cooler.
“I wanted people to judge the character based on her actions, not her appearence. So when audiences inevitably criticize the character for being all sorts of useless it will not be because the character is female but because the character kind of blew. And that kind of progressive, forward-thinking mentality is exactly what Hollywood needs more of.”
That is awesome! Thanks for posting!
If one were to engage in a drinking game where one watches Star Wars-related interviews with Christie on Youtube,and takes a shot every time she says the word “flesh” one would almost certainly die from alcohol poisoning. 😉
Nice!
I think she’s going to the resistance before the end…just watch! 🙂
“Lowering the Starkiller shield is not just a random act that could be forgiven.”
I don’t know. Vader allowed the first Death Star to get blown up and Palpatine kept him around.
Check out the ‘Darth Vader’ comics. It’s a lot deeper now, thanks to those.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F1d3QWsyk0
The Death Star was clearly under the control of Tarkin. That was his deal. Darth Vader was the only one on the Empire’s side to do anything to try to stop it’s destruction.
Everything in the Star Wars saga always come full circle or a mirror image of what’s come before….Therefore as Jango Fett was a Bounty Hunter who helped create an army, Phasma will become someone who helped create an army but becomes a bounty hunter and her number one target will be Finn
I was a good concept.. the execution was just dreadful tho. Hopefully she will be allowed to act like something more than a shiny robot in 8.
Oh Great. Phasma is a Traitor as well…So the Empire or just overall the Bad Guys don´t get a good female villain that could cause trouble for our heroes? I don´t want to see that as a Fan. Why? TFA has enough TFA is a ANH-Copy-Critics so avoid those god damn save options and be actually original.
I love that Phasma could be in trouble for lowering the shield. But, isn’t this the perfect crime? The bosses and any data that would point to her would have been destroyed when Starkiller Base went quasi nova. Only what? two people witnessed what Phasma did and one of them isn’t around to rat her out.
Three people ?
Yeah, but SHE would know…
Sure, but if she gave herself up, her only role in Ep 8 would be her execution.
The TFA Phasma was perhaps a great modern concept……. an anonymous unfemale character if you like…. but it backfired. You needed to SEE her face to begin to fully understand her psychology as a loyal female soldier, as well as to be able to relate to her for the audience – – – Kylo Ren instantly became more interesting when Ben Solo took his helmet off.
No she survived. Who knows how but she is confirmed for episode 8.
I imagine that if she has the creds to shut down a shield she can open a door and walk out.
She had a long time to get out of the trash compactor. Plus, couldn’t she just have called any amount of stormtroopers to help her out? She could have been out in minutes, easy-
Even though she helped blow up Starkiller Base by lowering the shields, they’ll do the traditional Saturday serial thing by giving her “one more chance to prove your worth.” They’ll give her an assignment against the Resistance—she’ll pursue it ruthlessly—and that will take up one of the stories in the movie.
Maybe Phasma did not care about Starkiller base. To her it was just a machine, not worth to die for. Not caring about the lives of the Stormtroopers who are just a tool to reach her goal.
…namely, the story where she captures Finn and freezes him in carbonate, and Rey has to leave her training on Ach-oo to rescue him. They may even hire Ewan McGregor just so he can raise both hands and go: “STOP.”
And everyone gets their hand severed by Kylo Ren during the Ewok celebration, so buy stock in the carpal-tech sector now because it’s poised to explode in late 2017 but not in a death star way unless they blow up a fourth one which I doubt they will because, c’mon, they HAD to have learned their lesson after #3.
I think the “face” is overrated on all actors. I always hated it when clearly certain scenes should have called for facial covering/helmets. Nope. Not for our star! Gotta sell that mug! I appreciate when an actor isn’t worried about showing their face 24/7 in a movie. Especially when common sense attire is in question.
“Lowering the Starkiller shield is not just a random act that could be
forgiven. Will she get a second chance, or maybe her story will depart
from the First Order?”
^this. pretending nothing happened would be a little weak, even if technically hux and kylo might not know. the audience knows, and thats important.
lets not forget that that a bunch of humans did a fantastic job making this movie with the weight of the galaxy on their shoulders. the idea of putting creme of the crop like gwen into that bold, yet ,unsexualised monkey suit, is fundamentally fucking brilliant. so what it didn’t quite work out on screen. if phasma is in some vague way, a fett successor, then the movie team has an extremely narrow amount of dialogue and screen time to fit an accidentally badass character into. nobody likes the way phasma turned out, but its the weakest of nitpicks at best.
I like those ideas, too!
if anyone has seen the TFA interviews with gwendolyn, she has repeated that statement in almost EVERY single one.. so this excerpt doesn’t really justify how disappointed i was with phasma. i have faith.. i definitely think she is going to be become turncoat and become a key figure with the resistance.
she was always a small character, and they just happened to throw Gwen into the character as-is.
Episode VIII is a fresh start, and hopefully they’ll beef up her character in the interceding year.
i really hope they do.. there’s quite a bit of potential with her.
What I find odd I have yet to see one single photo of her in the Phasma costume without the helmet off, no behind the scene photo, nothing. That surprises me.
bounty hunter after Finn!
Yeah, I like that, too!
@jamiewire:disqus I agree, with the amendment that I think she will definitely be fired / AWOL from the first order, I think, for lack of better thing to do, she would track down Finn by herself.
Like in “How It Should Have Ended” all she had to do was sound the alarm since they were surrounded by a million troops. Was she that threatened by a geriatric 63 year old man and a green janitor?
If she’s a traitor then the character can be salvaged but it’s hard to look like an uber bad ass if you gave up the ship without throwing a single punch.
Maybe she swears to never let that happen again and this propels her into an awesomely unique character? I know what you are saying. I was a bit disappointed in her character, but I think there is still hope for her! As long as it is written well!
Considering Vader has killed officers for lesser offenses and his biggest fanboy is more unstale then he is, I don’t see it happening.
I’m hoping she’s on the run from the First Order and maybe after revenge against Finn as a way of getting back into the good graces of leadership. Plenty of possible scenes then with the helmet off.
Yeah, I like that!
Feel the wrath of a woman scorned.
By who?
Her love for the First Order, or Finn (a star recruit).
A janitor.
In the Force Awakens Finn short story, He was one of her most promising troopers.
I’ve also hoped that somehow Captain Phasma would be a character that would switch sides, but I think they may have set up a rivalry where Finn’s nemesis will be Phasma as Kylo Ren will be Rey’s. Who knows, though??? They could do anything with the storyline. Very exciting indeed!
I think the character working out on screen is yet to be seen. Granted, her character was a bit of a let down in TFA, but that’s only because she was over hyped before the movie. They hyped Captain Phasma like she was more important to the story than Maz or something. That raised our expectations of the character, which was not a great decision for Captain Phasma. We expected a badass and that’s not what we got, but she had such a small role. Maybe she had it with The First Order and wanted out to start her own Mandalore-like warrior faction? That’d be cool. Her own expert assassin squad, tactical assault team or maybe even bounty hunter contingent?
She ordered her troops to wipe out those villagers at the start of the film, and probably helped. I reckon she’s too far gone to be redeemed. Best get her on a revenge mission after Finn if you ask me.
It’s a shame Phasma became another overrated character in SW.
Due to the additional casting of Benicio, her role could be even more thinner in next movie.
It´s that possibility that makes me scared and a bit sad. I wanna see Phasma doing her villain thing. Is that much to ask for?
We’ll probably see that in a comic book as we watch the character get endlessly milked.
Yes, we didn’t judge on hwo she was made flesh.
Just how she was made chrome.
Great for toy sales….poor movie character. Huge let down after the build up. I say don’t bother trying to bring her back. too much to explain how she survived the planets explosion in a trash compactor and to only have her come back and be a prop piece like in 7 just isn’t worth it.
What build up? The only build up was from the fans. They just made some toys and put her in one shot of the trailer. That’s literally nothing.
By casting Gwendolyn, showing her in the fore front of a couple of trailers. All the interviews with her, all the merchandise pushed as much as Kylo. Yeah, they built it up not just the fans.
To each his own opinion, I guess.
Wrong. She was in the trailers, on the poster, tons of toys, Christie was a large part of lucasfilms publicity. All signs from lucasfilm pointed to her being a significant character. Certainly more significant than what was in the film.
Did they ever say that she was a main character? No, they didn’t. They put some cool shots of her in the trailer and gave her a toy (like any background character can get). The only special treatment she got was some interviews. That hardly counts as build-up.
Still Wrong. Maz and
I’m truly hoping they do give Phasma a redemption arc. So many young girls and boys were incredibly excited when they revealed the first female Stormtrooper, who also happened to be of a high rank. It would make sense to make that character an even greater role model by having her essentially become “one of the good guys”.