I was invited by Disney to attend the #HanSoloEvent. Although all of my expenses are paid, all opinions are my own.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays L3-32 in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and she does a fantastic job. You may not think that being a self-made droid is all that challenging but we learned a lot from Phoebe in our time spent with her. She does a wonderful job in this role and I know you’ll love learning about her experience as a droid in SOLO.

Exclusive Interview with Phoebe Waller-Bridge ("L3-32) #HanSoloEvent

Photo Credit: Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Phoebe Knew Nothing About Star Wars

Phoebe knew of Star Wars but had never seen any of the films before being cast for the role. She said “which I think in some ways worked in my favor because from the droid perspective I was very loose in the audition with the idea of what a droid was and they were like ‘you’re taking the story thing very lightly.’ She says now she’s completely obsessed.

About the Droid Costume

Phoebe is in a costume acting along with the others and she said that she had lots of fittings. “The weirdest thing is that you get a kind of scan at the very beginning, like a scan of my whole body. Then they’d build a complete replica of your body and then build a suit around it, so it fits perfectly. So I had this green suit that is skin-tight, really attractive and on top of that I had legs drilled onto me, the arms, the chest plate and then the head.”

“There was a time when it might’ve been a different head. I liked the kind of “hat” vibe of this one on set, it felt like a bit of a hat, it was amazing but it was heavy. This is the first time they’d created a droid that kind of moves properly and is more flexible. I could move all of my joints because she’s a self-made droid so she created herself to be flexible, faster and stronger than other droids she would’ve met.”

Preparation for the Role as a Droid

Phoebe didn’t really need to prepare for the role as a droid and she shares, “I was ready to do all sorts of preparation for that. I was like, “Do you want me to work out? So I can carry the suit stronger?” And they were just like, no, no. That little weird, awkward walk you’re doing is actually perfect. I was like, “Really?” I think the vision that John had from the writing point of view, and carrying on through the whole production was that she would be more human but more relaxed in her voice and her body.”

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is L3-37 in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Phoebe as a Writer and Actor

Phoebe is doing both writing and acting and shares that she likes the both for very different reasons. “I was writing while shooting this film and there was something really joyous about having to go from acting and also being an executive producer in Killing Eve and having to be incredibly serious in the mornings, having lunch breaks where I am writing scenes about brutally murdering a politician. Then, it was such a relief to put on that green suit and be a droid for like four hours and then go back to it. I love them both, they are both liberating from each other in different ways and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Working with Ron Howard and Donald Glover

Phoebe shares that it was more of hanging out with them and she loved that they were both so relaxed and professional. “There’s a real sense of just being about to be really present with both of them and I learned to just let go and let your instincts speak first.”

Phoebe shares that “Ron is a master.” She said “he comes in and says hey, how’s it going—he’s so friendly and that makes everyone feel so relaxed and you can just feel instantly why people just want to work with him over and over again. He’s so clear, his eye is so brilliant and he’s incredibly kind and very clever.”

Adding Humor and Heart to the L3-32 Droid

Phoebe shares that she can’t take credit for bringing heart and humor to L3-32, “the script does that but you have to sort of start at the heart of the character no matter what they’re made out of. I feel like she had a huge heart and passion even though she sort of wakes up half way through the film to what her passion is. It is nice knowing that you’re building something like that as well. Where there’s humor, there’s heart and I think she’s got a lot of it.”

The characters were allowed to go off-beat once they got the script in the can. Phoebe says that “John would ask if anyone had any ideas or recommend that they were a little bit looser with the scene. So we did get to do that a few times and if anything good came out of it, we would do a take of that. It was fun. The whole atmosphere set was just so fun and encouraging. Everyone was so excitable and nice.”

The Surprise of being in a Star Wars Film

There were 2 moments that Phoebe remembers hitting her that she was in a Star Wars film. One was when she saw the Falcon and met Chewbacca. The big one came like 2 weeks after they had wrapped filming, she says, “I was on a bus going to get a sandwich in London and I suddenly just went, ‘what just happened?’ I canned my sister and was like ‘was I just in a Star Wars movie?’ She said ‘yeah, love yeah, we came to the set, we saw the whole thing.”

What Inspirational Message Does Phoebe want to share?

Phoebe shares that “it’s a film celebrating individuality and individual causes and having courage of your own convictions. There are so many amazing relationships in it and I think that’s inspiring and the trust it takes to partner up with someone but also being careful because some people betray you.”

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY HITS THEATERS MAY 25TH

ABOUT SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in SOLO: A STAR WARSSTORY, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Bettany.

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

LUCASFILM

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