“It wasn’t easy”: Star Wars Actress Almost Got Strangled Because of 1 Scene that Did Not Look as Dangerous as it Really Was

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is an epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The movie was a sequel to Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back and proved a huge success. Made on a budget of approximately $42 million, it grossed $374 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing film of 1983.

The most underrated character in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is probably Femi Taylor’s Oola. She played the role of an enslaved Twi’lek dancer working for crime boss Jabba the Hutt. Although Oola’s character had a difficult time entertaining at Jabba’s place, the struggle was actually more realistic because Femi Taylor was suffering too. 

“I nearly got strangled:” Star Wars actress opens up on the difficulties of delivering her scenes

Femi Taylor is a wonderful performer. She has even performed as a dancer in the Cats musical, both in London and in the 1998 TV movie of the play. However, she had an extremely difficult time dancing while chained to the platform and dealing with her lekku, which is the tentacle on Twi’lek’s head. Oola’s dance number is incredibly acrobatic. She leaps, spins, and even uses her chain as a prop. In Star Wars Insider #108, which came out in 2009, Femi Taylor opened up and said:

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“Dancing around in the slave collar was very hard, because I was attached by a long leash to a full-sized Jabba. There were four people operating Jabba and they only had this little monitor to see where I was. They had to really be on the ball with what I was doing in terms of the choreography. A couple of times I nearly got strangled while jumping! The tentacles on my head were even more difficult than the leash and slave-collar. They were very heavy to wear as I was dancing. I managed, but it wasn’t easy.”

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Femi Taylor worked very hard to portray Oola on the big screen, and she even had a soft spot for her character. She said in the same issue that she always thought of Oola as someone sympathetic. The fact that she was abused a lot and that she only wanted to escape struck a chord with her.

How was Femi Taylor’s costume in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi?

Star Wars movies are iconic in pop culture for their elaborate and imaginative costumes and looks. However, the costumes can also prove to be a challenge. Femi Taylor had to spend three hours on every shoot day and apply four layers of makeup. She was not allowed to do more than “lie down and not move” because the paint would come off otherwise. 

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“I was so into the part and what I was doing, I just didn’t notice until I came back and did it for the second time, when we were doing new scenes for the Special Edition of ‘Return of the Jedi.’ That’s when I noticed what a cool, funky costume it was!”

So, even though it was a hard time for Femi Taylor on the sets of Star Wars, it seems like she enjoyed every minute of it. 

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