Gwendoline Christie On How Her STAR WARS Character Subverts Gender Stereotypes
Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie is already a popular name around these parts, but she's about to hit the big time with a key role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She recently explained how her character 'Captain Phasma' avoids falling prey to certain gender stereotypes...
Gwendoline Christie first turned heads with a breakthrough role on HBO's Game Of Thrones - and she hasn't looked back since. She's earned plenty of plaudits as the formidable 'Brienne of Tarth', but this fall will see her star rise even higher as she joins two of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 & Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Speaking to Variety, Christie opened up about the increasingly "progressive" manner in which female characters are being portrayed in mainstream media, and praised big franchises like those mentioned above for looking to "expand and show a more realistic representation of women and of men". She also elaborated on the similarities between Brienne and her Star Wars character 'Captain Phasma', and how they both avoid falling prey to traditional gender stereotypes.
"I don’t think many female actors get the opportunity to play a part where they’re not having to think about the way their face looks, but I found exactly the same thing with 'Brienne of Tarth', and that was very liberating. It was great as an actor to work on your skills — that it isn’t about holding your head so you look beautiful. It’s about what you’re transmitting, and to be in service of an idea greater than yourself, whether it’s the character’s overriding objective or, beyond that, hopefully something more sociopolitical. We have seen an image of [Phasma] and again, it’s an unconventional kind of woman exhibiting a kind of strength, but in a very different way to my other two characters."
Christie also revealed that "it was very important to JJ [Abrams]" that she portrayed the role of Phasma underneath the armor as well - in order to stay true to what they "felt this character was representing". She added that it was "very liberating" being forced to focus on her body language rather than her physical appearance, and felt it was "interesting to make something about the character identifiably female in a non-superficial way."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theatres December 18.
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