Star Wars: Gwendoline Christie Claims Phasma Hated Finn Because She Fancied Him
The "Star Wars" films portrayed Captain Phasma as a woman of few words, and not enough screentime to say them (though her awesome "Mad Max" style origin in the books is another story), but in real-life, actress Gwendoline Christie has much to say about her excessively shiny enforcer of The First Order. At the April 2023 Star Wars Celebration, Christi appeared alongside Andy Serkis and Ian McDiarmid, and she broke down the finer details of her alter-ego's iconic armored suit, as well as revealing that her rivalry with Finn (John Boyega) was a bit more complex than it appeared on-screen.
When discussing Phasma's specially selected garments, Christie explained that the rigid and reflected gear was perfect because, in her words, "She is inflexible, and inflexibility suggests huge suppression of many, many things."
Those self-applied restrictions stretched further than Phasma's military gear, though, in Christie's eyes. Regarding Phasma's relationships, or lack thereof, Christie had an interesting theory regarding her on-screen rival. "With the relationship between Captain Phasma and Finn, so many people were saying to me, including the wonderful John Boyega, 'What is Phasma's problem? Why does Phasma hate Finn so much?' and I said, 'Because she fancies him.'"
Suddenly, it all makes sense. Might this have been a relationship to compete with even Rey and Kylo? Given the thought Christie has spent picking it apart, it certainly sounds that way.
Gwendoline Christie thinks Phasma lusted after Finn and his freedom
Gwendoline Christie certainly made a solid argument regarding a potential love that was never destined to be, birthed out of jealousy, perhaps, for how Finn was able to abandon the First Order and live a life of freedom. Because of Phasma's armored nature, though, her fascination with Finn manifests not as outreach or long, loving stars, but by making him the prime target for her excessively polished attacks.
As Christie suggested, "It's an interesting thing, isn't it? The idea of a repressed desirous lust, perhaps [...] The idea of the envy of someone who has liberated themselves from the confines of order and convention and someone that has an inner fragility that is so intense that they have to press and lean into a sense of order and authority and carry out a series of classic commands."
Interestingly, these issues and ideals act as the backbone for what "The Mandalorian" is handling right now. While not an enemy force, Dinn and his band of warriors are split between their regimented, routine way of life, versus the future possibilities inherent in abandoning those ways.
Regardless, it's a shame that Christie's time as Phasma never really got to explore that kind of territory, given that she was killed off at the end of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Perhaps in another timeline, Finn and Phasma have laid down their arms and left The First Order together, and that shiny helmet is nothing more than an ornament for the happy couple. We can only hope, right?