Thandie Newton admits her Star Wars action figure has taught her kids about diversity: ‘There wasn’t a black Sindy growing up in Cornwall’

Diverse: Thandie Newton has diverse toys in her home
AFP/Getty Images
Alistair Foster12 June 2018
The Weekender

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Thandie Newton says her London home is filled with toys and images from all racial backgrounds to give her children a balanced view of the world — including an action figure of her breakthrough Star Wars character.

The 45-year-old told how she struggled with her identity as a child in Cornwall, where she failed to see herself reflected in everyday items, including dolls.

Now she keeps figures of Val from Solo: A Star Wars Story — the first major black female character in the franchise — as well as Maeve Millay, the android she plays in the hit TV series Westworld.

They are among the items she and husband Oliver Parker have in their home in Queen’s Park for their children Ripley, 17, Nico, 13, and Booker, four, to help reflect the diversity of society.

Thandie Newton as Val in Solo: A Star Wars Story
Jonathan Olley

Newton, whose mother is Zimbabwean and father British, told the Standard: “There wasn’t a black Sindy in Cornwall, or a black Girl’s World doll. God, I begged for that Girl’s World for a year, then I did well in a maths test and got her. It had blonde straight hair and a pink face — I didn’t even question it.

“That was perfect for me — I didn’t even think, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if she was darker skinned?’ That’s the thing: assumptions are internalised so early on. My kids, I surround them with the whole spectrum of what’s in life. If you saw our house, we’ve got posters, photos, artwork, stuff from all around the world.

Cannes 2018: Solo - A Star Wars Story Premiere

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"It’s very important to me that faces in my house are all different colours of skin. I grew up loving Star Wars yet there was nobody that represented me.”

She added: “My son has the Pop! doll of Maeve and a Val doll and believe me they go into go into battle against each other and against the demons of the world.”

Newton said she has had to work extra hard because she stood up to sexual harassment and abuse in the film business.

“To be the woman who’s actively not allowed myself to be sexually harassed and abused, and has tried to protect other women ... you have no idea how it has tarnished my image and reputation within the industry. It’s wonderful seeing what’s been happening with the Time’s Up movement.”

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