Gwendoline Christie Worried Star Wars Is Done With Captain Phasma
This post contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
If this is the end, dear Phasma, alas, we hardly knew you.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi proved to be a surprisingly divisive entry in the long-running fantasy franchise, spurring countless arguments across tables and comment sections that are bound to continue well into the new year. Is that kid with the broom supposed to be important later, or are you a big dummy for thinking that? Was it cool that Snoke got sliced in half, or was that actually not cool? And is Captain Phasma going to survive her fiery plummet into a bottomless pit, or have we seen the last of that character, too?
On that last one, not even Phasma herself is sure. Gwendoline Christie, who plays the character in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, shared in an interview with The Times that she has no idea if she'll be getting invited back into her chrome Stormtrooper suit for Episode IX, and is apparently not sure if Phasma was meant to survive. The uncertainty, she says, is driving her crazy.
"In truth I don't know," the actress said, when asked if she was expected to reprise the role in the next sequel. "And that scares and upsets me because I really want to see this character explored."
She's not the only one. For a character so heavily featured in the marketing of both movies, Phasma has only appeared in a few minutes of each film, being easily defeated with little aplomb in The Force Awakens and getting quickly, brutally dispatched in The Last Jedi as well. Despite being the central figure in a number of spin-off books and other media, the character in the actual movies has been remarkably underwritten, resulting in what Christie herself has called "the slowest striptease in the history of cinema".
"I'm actually very invested in the character now," she said, elaborating on her concern that the series may move on without her. "And that's genuine. That's not just chat. It has opened up a chain of stories and events in my mind about who Phasma is."
Christie isn't the only actor in the latest Star Wars trilogy concerned about their chances for appearing in the final installment. Lupita Nyong'o, who plays Maz Kanata in the series, also says she doesn't know whether or not she'll be needed back for Episode IX.
With the ending of The Last Jedi being so open-ended, the next chapter in the story could seemingly go anywhere. It wouldn't be that much of a surprise if a few characters had to get left behind between the movies, especially if they're not important to the story anymore. Hopefully she makes it back, if only for a minute, to get clowned on one last time.