The actress made a stellar fashion statement at the French film festival on Tuesday.
Thandie Newton may be a Solo star -- but she’s celebrating those who have come before her!
The actress and her co-stars attended a screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story at the Cannes Film Festival in France on Tuesday, and Newton made a stunning fashion statement on the red carpet. The Westworld star -- who is the first black actress to appear in a starring role in the epic franchise -- donned a custom Vivienne Westwood gown decorated with the black male stars of previous Star Wars films.
The tan gown featured blue floral details, along with prints of action figure likenesses of John Boyega as Finn, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera and Hugh Quarshie as Captain Panaka.
Newton’s stylist, Erin Walsh, opened up about the actress’ inspiration in a series of Instagram posts about the unique gown, revealing that the action figures came from Newton’s personal collection.
“For tonight's #StarWars premiere, Thandie had the brilliant idea to make a dress covered in a print with photos of iconic black @starwars characters!” Walsh captioned several images, showing sketches of the dress and an up-close look at the custom prints. “She wanted to celebrate her role in the iconic history of the franchise!! She is the first black woman onscreen in a @starwars movie with a leading role.”
Walsh also shared some red carpet shots of Newton, dubbing the Swarovski-detailed gown, “a dress made of dreams, and it's about time!”
Not much is yet known about Newton’s mysterious Solo character, whose name is Val, and the actress played coy when ET asked for details earlier this year.
“I think that the clip that you see, even though it’s really brief, tells you a lot,” she teased of her brief appearance in the trailer for the upcoming prequel film. “You know, there she is holding what looks like a weapon, and in a state of natural empowerment. You know, both the way she looks and her attitude. I loved playing the character. Loved it.”
See more in the video below. Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters May 25.
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