Thandie Newton reveals more about her Star Wars character: "I’m the first woman of colour to have prominent role in Star Wars legacy"

The Westworld and Line of Duty star will star in Solo: A Star Wars Story prequel this May

Published: Monday, 16 April 2018 at 7:00 pm

While we’re far from the days when we knew absolutely nothing about Star Wars Han Solo prequel (remember when we hadn’t even seen a trailer or a single image?), there are still one or two characters from the upcoming space opera that we know very little about.

Ad

Take Val, for example, the character played by Thandie Newton who has appeared in a few teasers and images for the new film carrying some pretty hefty weaponry.

We can surmise that she’s part of the crew brought together by Beckett (Woody Harrelson) that also includes Han and Chewie (Alden Ehrenreich and Joonas Suotamo), but apart from that she remains a complete mystery.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Now Newton has shed some new light on the significance of her part for the first time, pointing out the groundbreaking nature of her casting while hinting at the crucial role Val may play in the story of the finished film.

“I’m the first woman of colour to have a prominent role in the Star Wars legacy,” Newton says in the latest issue of Radio Times, on sale from Tuesday 17th April.

“There have been others with one line and Lupita Nyong’o was a computer-generated character [in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi], but you didn’t get to see the colour of her skin. I’m the first.

“I’m going to have a toy and everything," she adds. "It’s exciting, but that’s all I can say. It is a big deal.”

Sounds like Val will be one to watch when Solo is released next month.

Ad

Read the full interview with Thandie Newton, where she talks about her experience with sci-fi fans, her TV favourites and the perils of bingeing, in the latest issue of Radio Times

Radio Times signature

Authors

Radio Times commissioning editor Huw Fullerton. He sits in front of a shelving unit, looking at the camera and smiling. He wears glasses and has a moustache

Huw FullertonCommissioning editor

Huw Fullerton is a commissioning editor for Radio Times magazine handling comedy, entertainment and specialist drama. In a previous regeneration, he covered all things sci-fi and fantasy for RadioTimes.com.

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...