Karol Cristina Da Silva: Portraying Rabé in The Phantom Menace

1999 marked the return of Star Wars on the silver screen with The Phantom Menace, introducing the next generation of fans to a galaxy far, far away. Along with a brand new prequel story, the space opera brought a variety of new characters that soon became iconic and inspiring for the young audience—especially Padmé Amidala, Queen of Naboo portrayed by sixteen-year-old Natalie Portman. Alongside Padmé, the film featured the handmaidens, sworn protectors of the Queen who not only dressed alike but also bore a strong physical resemblance to the royal figure. Among Amidala’s most trusted handmaidens was Rabé—played by Brazilian model and actress Karol Cristina Da Silva, who shared her amazing experience working on The Phantom Menace. “I was modeling in London with Premier Model Management, and I was interested in acting roles. [Lucasfilm] was doing the production there for [The Phantom Menace], and they were looking for actors with similar looks and height to Natalie Portman for the role of handmaidens. I did my first audition with Robin [Gurland], and soon after a costume fitting where I got the approval from George Lucas himself! That’s when I joined the handmaidens,” shared Da Silva.

As a handmaiden, Da Silva had a prime point of view in some of the most crucial scenes of The Phantom Menace—from witnessing Padmé’s first introduction to R2-D2 to fighting alongside the Jedi during the Battle of Naboo, the latter being the actress’ favorite scene (besides the one where she has a line with young Anakin Skywalker) both for its exciting action and wardrobe choice. “My favorite [costume] is the one that we all wore during the battle scenes because the way it fit was empowering … clothes can do that, right?” Da Silva said.

Karol Cristina Da Silva admitted that some of her favorite memories of working on The Phantom Menace came from off-set—from having picnics with Natalie Portman in Primrose Hill to becoming good friends with Hugh Quarshie (aka Captain Panaka). “Hugh and I would share a car on our way to filming, and so we got to know each other. I went to his house and met his wife and kids, and yes, we’re still friends,” Da Silva shared.

For the Royal Premiere of The Phantom Menace at the Odeon Cinema in London’s Leicester Square, Karol Cristina Da Silva was asked to wear the iconic Queen Amidala’s Senate gown to greet the crowd—with the only exception being that she would not be able to attend the premiere itself. Although it would be an honor to portray the Queen herself, the thought of not being able to hang out with her friends at the screening saddened Da Silva; luckily, Captain Panaka came to the rescue—Quarshie managed to get his friend on the premiere’s list.

“Everyone was inside having drinks and all of a sudden the curtain lifted up and a full orchestra started playing the Star Wars theme … It was magical. I was there with my boyfriend when I heard my name, ‘Cristina, Cristina!’ and I looked up and saw Natalie Portman looking down from a balcony of the VIP area and was like, ‘Cristina, come up, come up!’ and I replied, ‘I don’t have the pass!’ and so she took it from her neck and just tossed it to me. I grabbed it and I was like, ‘Thank you, but I’m with my boyfriend.’ So she’s like, ‘Wait a minute,’ and she took one off of a table nearby and threw it down at me. You see, handmaidens help each other out, on an off-set! We went upstairs and caught up on things. That for me was an incredible memory.”

The character of Rabé continues to live through other media outside The Phantom Menace—especially in E. K. Johnston’s YA novels (Queen’s Shadow, Queen’s Peril, and the upcoming Queen’s Hope). “It’s like coming back to it again because of her books. I found out about it from a fan at a convention and immediately became more involved with Rabé after reading them. Since I started doing something called The Magic of Human Beings—where I have conversations with people that I love and respect to celebrate and cherish their journeys and creativity—I got in touch with [E. K. Johnston] … that was such a great talk! We talked about many things, about Star Wars and her developing the character. I think it’s amazing how she was able to bring a new light into the handmaidens.” Da Silva continued, “Before I interviewed her I started researching on what people thought about the books and discovered that so many women who are now in their thirties were inspired by the handmaidens—this group of brave, young women fighting together for what is good. I was rediscovering Rabé with different eyes. It was very inspiring.”

If you want to show your love and appreciation for the character of Rabé, then make sure to follow Karol Cristina Da Silva on Instagram, and don’t forget to check out her The Magic of Human Beings YouTube channel for more truly inspiring interviews!

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