MAD PROPS TO DISNEY FOR GIVING ME OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY AT THE WORLD PREMIERE
SOLO: a Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25th. Buy your tickets now because this is a movie you will not want to miss.
I had heard of the Mother of Dragons. I had heard of Khaleesi and Daenerys.
But I didn’t make the connection that those same women were Qi’ra from Solo: A Star Wars Story
Until just before the Solo event, that is.
Emilia Clarke is a small, slight woman. She doesn’t look like she could overpower a dragon, let alone a rugged, youthful Han Solo, and yet she does both of these things.
Emilia has only played strong women but wants us to take “strong” out of the equation. It’s not that women can’t be strong, she’s just got some things to say about “strong women” that I think you should hear.
She also gabs about who she gives all her LEGO minifigures to, which MARVEL Avenger she’d be, and what it felt like to be the woman before Leia Organa.
Let’s Go!
Emilia wasn’t always a fan of Star Wars, though she did grow up with a big brother who was a fan.
She didn’t fully understand or appreciate the gravity of the franchise until Episode 7 came out in 2015.
I became a fan when I went to see Episode 7 with my brother. I suddenly knew what everyone must have felt back in 77 when it first came out. I thought, this is how it’s done, this is how everyone should be making movies. Then I watched all the movies and now I’m here!
On what she likes about Qi’ra and how they’re similar
She is definitely a survivor. She does what she needs to do to keep being around. You see her and Han from kids and so you get to see them from when nothing was *too* serious, they were just Bonnie & Clyding their way out of there.
When you see her later on in life, she’s lived a huge amount in a short time. I had to grow up really quickly. Game of Thrones was my first jo,b so we are related in that sense of you just have to hustle and grow up real quick.
How did Emilia Clarke feel about playing the role of ‘The Woman who Came Before Leia Organa”?
I know that’s a role I’d be intimidated to take on for sure! Knowing you’re the woman who helped shape Han into the man he became sounds terrifying to me.
I just tried not to think about it! It’s scary enough I’m standing in front of the Star Wars banner, I didn’t need to think about that. Qi’ra is before her. I don’t know what my next 10 years is going to look like, I’ll let Alden take all that heat.
What does Emilia Clarke want young women to take away from her roles playing strong women?
What I would love is, we’re just women. You can take strong out of the equation. We just ARE. Strength is within us as women. It would be great for the young girls who are watching me play these characters now to just see that as a part of being a woman instead of it being a choice. ‘Am I going to be a woman or am I going to be a strong woman?” YOU ARE. We all are, you have it in you anyway so just go and get it.
I absolutely LOVED this sentiment from Emilia. I hate when people say, “I don’t know how you do it all!” or “I look up to you so much because you do XYZ”. Stop that! You can do the same things I can. We are inherently strong. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Or rather, take your strength back from those who have stolen it from you.
I hope my daughter just knows she’s strong without having to be told that, without having to look up to strong women. That is why I constantly give her the gift of personal choice and responsibility. I allow her to have her emotions because mine were taken away from me. I want her to know that she can scale a rock wall and do stunts then turn someone down for a date without having to explain and make each decision in her life with the confidence that it’s the right one for her.
That answer was everything to me.
On keeping up with her craft of acting
It’s really important to do both stage and screen as an actor because when you go back to the stage it’s like going back to drama school. You kind of relearn everything.
I grew up in the theatre and there’s magic there. It’s unlike anything you can ever get when you’re filming on screen. In the theatre, every, single night you’re with your ensemble and you’re working together to create something different.
To me it feels like actual magic. It’s really exhausting and it sure doesn’t pay the rent so you’ve got to mix that up. I do think it’s important to keep going back and checking in on your craft in that way.
On Costuming for the role of Qi’ra and which costume she’d rather wear home
In the begninng, it was like kids on the run, sort of cool factor you could play into. When I put on the first costume, I was like ‘Yes, this is good. I’m going to go home in this.’
Then later on it needed to have an impact. It also needed to give the impression that later on she had clothes that had been bought for her to appear a certain way to show that there’s this property about her. I think that plays into Qi’ra as a character in terms of what she chooses to show and what she doesn’t. I think that was reflected in the costumes.
What does Emilia Clarke say to lift herself up in hard times?
I quite like KOKO – Keep on Keepin’ on.
Emilia had dreams of becoming a LEGO figure some day. If this isn’t an illustration of “dreams come true”, I don’t know what is.
It’s so good! It’s amazing!
I told my godson, I’m sorry honey, but you’re just going to have all the merchandise. Here play with this LEGO. ‘Recognize her? DO YA?!’
What it was like working with Ron Howard
It was amazing. I kept being like ‘You’re joking. I don’t believe you. You can’t really expect to believe that Ron Howard has chosen to join this movie.’
Then I remembered it was a Star Wars movie and people want to be a part of that.
It was a dream come true. It couldn’t have been better.
He held us in the most beautiful way and he allowed us to all be heard, which in a movie of this scale is so impressive.
On the Millennium Falcon
The amount of time you spent on the Millennium Falcon with a large amount of crew and cast in a very small space made you want to Febreeze quite often. It was like real life livin’.
Which MARVEL Avenger would you be if you could choose one?
I want to say “The Hulk”. That’d be so cool! ‘Yo Mark, watch out honey!’
He just seems like he’s having the most fun out of anybody!
Yeah girl, I don’t blame you. But seriously, just have some kids and I think you’ll find that happens naturally. It just doesn’t come with ripped clothes and green skin.
CHECK OUT MY SPOILER-FREE SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY REVIEW AND MAKE SURE YOU GO SEE THE MOVIE ON MAY 25 WHEN IT HITS THEATRES NATIONWIDE!
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