After rumours that Maisie Richardson-Sellers would appear in Star Wars VII it looks as though the young Oxford graduate really did land a role in the galaxy far, far away.
It seems like a lifetime ago that rumours of Maisie Richardson-Sellers first appeared. And while the young actress was relatively unknown at this stage, it wasn’t long before journalists such as myself were scouring the internet for any scrap of her acting career.
Well now, long after the rumours have died down, it looks as though we’ve got confirmation that Richardson-Sellers did land that coveted Star Wars role…
During an interview with Refinery 29, the enigmatic 21-year-old actress finally revealed that she’s landed a role in the galaxy far, far away.
“I auditioned along with thousands of other people,” she said. “I think it was a worldwide audition process, and it just took off from there, step by step. I’m not allowed to say a lot, unfortunately. But, I think the great thing about J.J. is that he really hunts for talent.”
Of course, the highly-publicised worldwide Star Wars auditions saw thousands of budding hopefuls turn out across the UK… and even send in audition tapes via the official website. It almost seemed like a publicity stunt, but it looks as though Richardson-Sellers was one of the lucky ones, and eventually signed on for The Force Awakens.
“It’s not just about the name or what you’ve done,” she added. “If you look at a lot of the people he did end up casting, many of them haven’t done much before, and I think that’s really exciting — that he gives people that kind of opportunity.”
Although the rest of the cast are undoubtedly more experienced than Maisie Richardson-Sellers, it’s clear that Abrams has avoided stunt casting when it comes to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Rather than relying on big names to bolster the movie with star power, it seems that he’s instead focussed on getting the right actors in the right role… and with a movie like Star Wars it’s certainly going to pay off.
But what can she tell us about her experiences so far? Not much, it seems…
“I had to sign many, many contracts,” she explained. “It’s very, very secret. But, everyone who’s working on it loves and respects the franchise so much, they all want to keep it a secret. We wanted to hold it tight, so it wasn’t hard for anyone. It wasn’t a forced thing; it’s our little child which we’re going to present to the world in a year.”
Although there’s been no indication of which character Richardson-Sellers might play (or even that she’s in the movie at all) there have already been some rumours regarding an old and rather familiar face.
If you believe the rumours, then Maisie Richardson-Sellers will be playing a “young black or mixed-race woman” who might just be the descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Whether or not that makes it to the big screen remains to be seen… and for now we’ll have to wait and see.
But it could prove to be a rather inspired casting choice.
Who do you think Maisie Richardson-Sellers will play? Will she get to swing a lightsabre in the galaxy far, far away? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
