This Is The Droid You’re Looking For! Interview With Phoebe Waller-Bridge

I hadn’t seen any of the films. Yeah. I know. I think there’s like  five of us in the world. But I have met one or two on tour. But, I hadn’t. Which I think in some ways might’ve worked in my favor.

 

She’s built herself to be more relaxed in her voice and her body. I would offer something droid-y, they would be like “stop that, pull that it back. Be more natural.”

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 said, no… that little weird, awkward walk you’re doing is actually perfect.

Phoebe-Waller Bridge is an English actress and writer, known for the award-winning hit comedy TV series “Fleabag” and “Killing Eve.” She shared with us how her work was what inspired Phil Lord and Chris Miller to cast her in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Because they’re comedy guys as well, I guess they just stumbled across that. And then they made the link between that character and L3, which I am forever grateful for. And so then I had one audition with them, and it was about an hour of just kind of mucking around with the character, and a bit of improvisation, and just talking about her a bit.

 

I love L3-37 and if you’re a female Star Wars fan, or a female that has a voice, this is the droid you’re looking for!

L3-37 is Lando’s copilot in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. I love that classic Star Wars person/droid duo dynamic. Here’s some of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s insight into Lando and L3’s complicated relationship:

They’re incredibly close. I think they lean on each other. I don’t think she’s ever met a human who treats her like an equal. And that’s very significant to her. They have a mutual respect for each other, but they also drive each other crazy. A great partnership nonetheless! He’s vague and smooth, and she’s very upfront and bullish about what she thinks is right and wrong.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge particularly enjoyed the concept that L3 is a self-made droid who believes in rights for droids and believes that they’re being treated as “second class citizens.” L3 thinks it’s time to stand up and speak out and free them.

She reconstructed herself. She started out as an astromech droid like Artoo, gave herself a voice and limbs and is able to do lots of things that she wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do. She’s revolutionary, very determined.

She’s like a social justice warrior, and she’s a droid with an agenda that goes beyond her own existence, and that’s very unique.

Of course, let’s not forget that L3-37 is the first significant female droid in the Star Wars universe!

It doesn’t get much cooler. She’s incredibly funny and inspiring, and to play such a strong woman in this universe, albeit she’s a droid, makes her even more unusual as a character and allowed me more freedom and fun with it.

Though Phoebe Waller-Bridge considers herself the poster child for “female droid liberation” even before she played L3-37, she doesn’t feel she’s as sassy as L3.

But she’s got the humor. It was a very fun interview! Her droid suit allowed her to improvise during some comic moments on set.

It was the first time that they’d created a droid that can move properly and be more flexible. And I could move all of my joints. Because she’s a self-made droid, so she created herself to be…as flexible, bigger, faster, stronger, than any other droids that she would’ve met. 

It’s interesting that Phoebe Waller-Bridge wanted to keep her droid suit as a souvenir, but she kept something even better:

I really begged for my little green suit…No, I didn’t. We parted ways. We’re not really allowed to keep anything, but one of the model-makers made me a little, her mouthpiece is a sort of little grill thing, and made me a little brooch out of that. So, I have her mouth. The best bit about her.

I think L3-37’s lines are so epic in the film and I think her mouth – her voice – is definitely something that we needed to see in a female droid.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge credited the brilliance of her character to John Kasdan (both Kasdans, I’m sure), and I think the fact that he allowed for ad-libbing on the set of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, made L3-37 such a fluid character:

We were allowed to go off-beat, once we got the script in the can, then John would be like, “Does anyone else have any ideas?” or “Let’s just be a bit looser with the scene.” And so we did get to do that a few times. And then if anything good came out of it, then they would do a take of that. It was really fun. The whole atmosphere on set was just so fun and encouraging. Everyone was just so excitable, and it was just like, “Ooh, that’s a good idea, let’s do that.” It was really nice.

Ron Howard had amazing things to say about Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s impromptu creativity:

Phoebe is hilarious, irreverent, smart and a really exciting new character in the Star Wars universe. She is also a hugely inventive, improvisational talent and a terrific writer, and the writers and I adored what she was able to bring to the character.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is co-arc director of DryWrite Theatre Company. When asked about how she felt about working with Ron Howard, she said:

He’s a master. But also, I was sort of ready to meet “Ron Howard, The King.” And then he comes in, and he’s just like, “Hey. How’s it going?” So friendly! And that makes everyone feel so relaxed, and you can just feel instantly why people want to work with him over and over again. Because he’s so clear. His eye is so brilliant, and he’s incredibly kind, and very, very clever. You feel very safe.

She put into words exactly how I felt when he came in for our interview with Ron Howard. What a humble human being!

It sounds like Phoebe Waller-Bridge really enjoyed creative freedom while working with both Donald Glover and Ron Howard on the set:

They are both so relaxed and such consummate professionals. But there’s a real sense of being able to be really present with both of them, and I really learned that from them. Just letting go of everything and letting your instincts speak first, really.

It’s a film celebrating individuality and individual causes and having courage of your own convictions. I think that would be wonderful. There are so many amazing relationships in it, and I think it’s inspiring, the trust it takes to partner up with somebody, and I hope that inspires them as well.

But also wanting to be careful, because some people betray you. Trust no one. Lovely summer message.

I’m not going to say who betrays whom, but that’s how real life works, isn’t it? I used to say I wish it didn’t happen, but sometimes what we see as betrayal is really a necessary experience to learn who someone truly is and where they should really stand in our lives.

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY will inspire you and you will have fun – and you’ll be transported to a galaxy far far away in the Star Wars way we all love! Watch Lando and L3 in theaters everywhere on May 25th!

You can follow the latest updates by visiting the official SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY site, following STAR WARS on Instagram, following STAR WARS on Twitter,  and liking STAR WARS on Facebook. Make sure you follow the conversation along with #HanSolo and #HanSoloEvent.

Elayna is a single mom of 4, award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 4x TEDx speaker. Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results, so you can have the wealth, opportunities, and freedom you deserve. Connect with Elayna Fernández at thepositivemom.com/keynote-speaker and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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Interview photos by Louise Bishop of MomStart.com and non-personal photos courtesy of Disney