Thandiwe Newton Isn’t Happy With Val’s Fate In Solo
Solo: A Star Wars Story may be in the rear view mirror, but one of its stars, Thandiwe Newton, is still unsatisfied with the way her role played out. The Westworld actress played Val, the wife and partner of Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson). However, Val perished early in the film before her character could be fully developed. But according to Newton, Val wasn’t originally supposed to die at all.
Newton addressed her displeasure with Solo during an interview with Inverse. And she didn’t hold back on her thoughts.
“I felt disappointed by Star Wars that my character was killed,” said Newton. “And, actually, in the script, she wasn’t killed. It happened during filming. And it was much more just to do with the time we had to do the scenes. It’s much easier just to have me die than it is to have me fall into a vacuum of space so I can come back sometime.”
RELATED: Mondo Brings the Solo: A Star Wars Story Soundtrack To Vinyl
“That’s what it originally was: that the explosion and she falls out and you don’t know where she’s gone,” added Newton. “So I could have come back at some point. But when we came to filming, as far as I was concerned and was aware, when it came to filming that scene, it was too huge a set-piece to create, so they just had me blow up and I’m done.”
Additionally, Newton revealed that she instantly thought that killing Val off was a poor choice.
“I remembered at the time thinking, ‘This is a big, big mistake,'” related Newton. “Not because of me, not because I wanted to come back. You don’t kill off the first Black woman to ever have a real role in a Star Wars movie. Like, are you f***ing joking?”
Do you think that Val should have had a larger role in Solo? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.