Gwendoline Christie plays a Stormtrooper with "a heavy dose of sass" in 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.'

Gwendoline Christie

Gwendoline Christie

Christie adored her character Captain Phasma and was determined to have "fun" with her body-covering distinctive armour.

She said: "From the second I put the costume on, I really felt like I wanted to have fun with it.

"Definitely I wanted the character to have femininity and a heavy dose of sass because I don't think we've seen that in a Stormtrooper before.

"We haven't seen a female Stormtrooper behave that way."

Gwendoline found her costume particularly "interesting" because her physical appearance remains hidden.

She told Total Film magazine: "It was a very interesting experience because one of the reasons I love Captain Phasma is not only is she the first female villain in 'Star Wars', but I think it's unusual for a female character to be presented this way - we don't judge her because of the way she looks in the flesh."

The actress was desperate to land a role in the film as soon as she heard it was being made.

She recalled: "As soon as I heard they were going to be making another 'Star Wars', I was like a dog with a bone.

"I was absolutely focused on being seen for it. I so, so wanted to be a part of it."