The Star Wars franchise has introduced or featured many stars of today in pivotal roles. While actresses such as Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman gained worldwide fame for their roles in the prequel trilogy, one other actress who started out her Hollywood career was Insidious star Rose Byrne. The actress played a handmaiden in Attack of the Clones.
Though she was in the film for barely a few minutes, Byrne reportedly mentioned that she had a good time on set. She has since gone on to establish herself as a bankable actress with franchises such as X-Men and Insidious. However, she maintains that her most challenging role was her breakthrough film The Goddess of 1967.
Rose Byrneâs Preparation For The Goddess of 1967 Was More Extensive Than Any
Actress Rose Byrne is known for her roles in films such as Bridesmaids, Insidious, X-Men: First Class, and more. The Australian actress began her career as a child artist in the film Dallas Doll and then went on to star in multiple films. She had a small role as DormĂ©, the handmaiden of Naboo in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
While the Star Wars film had its own challenges as she was not a fan yet and had to imagine many things while filming on a blue screen, Byrne maintained that one of her toughest roles has been her breakthrough drama The Goddess of 1967. The film saw her playing a blind girl on a road trip with a Japanese man in Australia.
Talking about her intense preparation for the role, the actress mentioned that she had to learn the mannerisms of a blind person and had to practice âblind actingâ for weeks. She said in an interview with Star Wars Insider,
[It was] far and away the most difficult thing I have ever done, yet probably the most rewarding.
The Goddess of 1967 received many accolades including a Best Actress award for Rose Byrne at the Venice International Film Festival. The actress was reportedly so underconfident that she left the ceremony before her award was announced and got to know that she had received the Golden Lion only via email.
Rose Byrneâs Costumes In Star Wars Helped Her Perform Better In The Film
Since her role in The Goddes of 1967, Rose Byrne has come a long way. She has proved her mettle as a comic actress with films such as Bridesmaids, Spy, and Neighbors, and has featured in blockbusters such as Troy, 28 Weeks Later, and the X-Men franchise. She had a prominent role in the latter and had two appearances in the franchise.
However, Byrne had her first taste of blockbuster filmmaking when she was cast as DormĂ© in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The actress played the role of one of the Royal Handmaidens of Naboo, who protects the Queen PadmĂ© Amidala and also acts as a spy. Byrne mentioned that she was not aware of much of the lore of the films when she was cast.
She told Star Wars Insider that she was not sure about the world that George Lucas had built, but somehow found inspiration to perform the role well due to the extensive costumes she had to wear. She said,
What really helped me get into the character of DormĂ© was definitely her costume. It was so regal that it made me walk and behave very differently than a twenty-two-year-old Sydney girl. Her entire role really is to support Amidala, and her safety is DormĂ©âs top priority. That helped give me focus.Â
The actress was reportedly discovered by casting director Robin Gurland, who saw her perform on stage with Leeanna Walsman, who played Zam Wesell.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones as well as X-Men: First Class are available to stream on Disney Plus.
