Emilia Clarke got some great Star Wars advice from a Game of Thrones co-star
She’s not the first actor to move between Westeros and a galaxy far, far away
This week sees Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke hand over her dragons, silvery wig and list of titles in favour of a blaster, with the British star joining the adventure of new Star Wars spin-off Solo alongside Alden Ehrenreich’s titular smuggler.
Moving from one massive genre hit to another is always a tricky move, of course, but Clarke had a distinct advantage when moving between the worlds of Westeros and a galaxy far, far away – because she wasn’t the first to do it.
Enter Gwendoline Christie, who cut her acting teeth playing fan-favourite warrior Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones before joining the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi as the chrome-plated baddie Captain Phasma, and who was more than happy to give some tips to the Mother of Dragons.
“I absolutely did [ask her],” Clarke told RadioTimes.com in a video interview (below). “We definitely talked about it quite a lot.”
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So did Christie give her some tips on handling outer-space weaponry? The best driving school for inter-planetary travel? Or even just which on-set cantina was the best place to pick up a snack between takes?
Er, not really – because apparently, most of Christie’s advice centred on Clarke finding some time to chill out (and probably nap) when she wasn’t jetting between the Game of Thrones and Solo sets.
“I think she was just like, 'Make sure you get some rest!'” Clarke recalled.
“Because they're both really big projects.”
Still, once she did get involved in filming Solo Clarke says she didn’t look back – and even her experiences filming Game of Thrones couldn’t prepare her for the scale of a Star Wars production.
“The first day was pretty awesome!” she told RadioTimes.com. “In a real awesome, awe-inspiring kind of way.
“It was filmed in the 007 stage in Pinewood, which is one of the biggest stages in Europe. So...and it was filled. Just filled with Star Wars. It was pretty incredible.
“And then there was another set that felt like I was in Hook. Remember that movie?
“It literally felt like you're in a theme park, because you're surrounded by so much detail. They make an actor's job really easy in that sense.”
Afterwards, we can only hope she didn’t accidentally bring any of the Star Wars set dressing back to Game of Thrones. A loose thermal detonator or two could REALLY change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms...
Solo: A Star Wars story is in UK cinemas from the 24th May
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
