Shirley Henderson—or Moaning Myrtle, if you’re hip—has had a surprising career. Part of that career now includes voicing Babu Frik in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and she has some thoughts on Babu’s former love life, and honestly, I will listen to anything Moaning Myrtle has to say.
Talking to Vanity Fair, Henderson was asked about Babu Frik’s life outside of the film because … that’s just where we are as a society right now, and Henderson easily responded, saying “Beyond the film, Babu has lived a life. Somewhere out there is a lost love. He thinks about her sometimes when he sits down in his workshop and lets his thoughts drift away. That’s what I think, anyway.”
Look, do I think that Shirley Henderson just answered a question about a character she voiced without thinking too much about it? Yes but I also think that Henderson is the kind of actress who understands the importance of these characters. Let’s think about this, she was Moaning Myrtle and to this day, I think of her portrayal as the young girl who died in the girl’s bathroom at Hogwarts.
In fact, her performance on-set as Babu Frik was so perfect that Rise of Skywalker sound designer Matthew Wood abandoned the original planned to add a new voice in post-production, so yeah, we’re going to go ahead and let her inform our view of the character she brought to life. She knows how important these characters are to fans and what it means to be in touch with them, and so with a character like Babu Frik, who has become something of a fave for Star Wars fans, we’re in love with him.
It’s May 4th. Babu Frik approves. #MayThe4th pic.twitter.com/e9D2mppyaB
— Nick Olsen (@NickOlsen_) May 4, 2020
Henderson even went on to talk about the first time she saw Babu Frik, and how then, she took notice of everyone’s obsession with him:
One evening I was sitting in a hotel room, about to get into my pajamas and head off to dreamland, when Nina Gold, the casting director, phoned me and asked if I would like to meet J.J. Abrams and audition for him….Then the day arrived. I was taken into J.J.’s office and we said hello. Still, there were no real clues—so I just hunched down on the ground and made myself as small as I could and started talking as I thought the character might. Minutes later, J.J. brought in a tiny model of an old man, set it down on the coffee table and said: ‘This is Babu Frik.’
There’s even a rumor (according to Henderson) that Steven Spielberg watched Rise of Skywalker and wanted to know more about Babu Frik, which … cool. Same, Steven. I also want to know what happened to this little shirtless mechanic! Now, the question is: Who was Babu Frik’s lost love? Are we going to see an entire film dedicated to his love and struggles and how he ended up being there to help Finn, Poe, Rey, and C-3PO when they needed him most? Can that be the movie that Taika Waititi takes on?
I would also maybe take a cartoon series voiced by Shirley Henderson about Babu Frik, and maybe she also voices his love interest? I do not care. I just want more Babu Frik in my life, and if that means having Shirley Henderson just tell me what she thinks, I’ll take it.
(via ComicBook.com, image: Lucasfilm)
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