- "Solo: A Star Wars Story" debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night.
- "Westworld" star Thandie Newton is the first black woman cast in a major "Star Wars" role.
- She plays Val in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" (arriving in theaters on May 25).
- To celebrate this legacy, Newton wore a custom gown patterned with her own action figure collection of all the black characters in the "Star Wars" universe.
- The Couture Vivienne Westwood design was Newton's look for the Cannes red carpet.
- See detailed photos of the design below.
At the Cannes Film Festival premiere of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on Tuesday evening, "Westworld" star Thandie Newton rocked a custom gown patterned with her own action figure collection of all the black characters in the "Star Wars" universe.
Newton is making her "Star Wars" debut in the coming "Solo" prequel film, and she's the first black woman to appear onscreen in a "Star Wars" movie in a major role.
The Couture gown was designed by Vivienne Westwood, and the figurine pattern came from photos of Newton's personal collection of "Star Wars" figurines, which were photographed by Christian Hogstedt.
Here's a closer look at the figurines on one section of the gown:
As reported by ET, Newton's stylist Erin Walsh shared photos of the dress on Instagram and explained the inspiration behind the look.
"For tonight's ["Star Wars"] premiere, Thandie had the brilliant idea to make a dress covered in a print with photos of iconic black ["Star Wars"] characters!" Walsh wrote on Instagram.
"She wanted to celebrate her role in the iconic history of the franchise!! She is the first black woman onscreen in a ["Star Wars"] movie with a leading role," the caption continued.
Vivienne Westwood's official Instagram account also confirmed the origin of the dress pattern.
"The special gown features images of Thandie's personal ["Star Wars"] figurine collection, photographed by Christian Hogstedt, layered over the iconic 'Absence of Roses' print," the Westwood Instagram post said.
The hosts of "Star Wars" talk show "Black Series Rebels" also tweeted about the gown, saying they helped Newton with the list of black characters.
When @thandienewton and @ptolemy email you for a complete list of Black #starwars character action figures... you answer that email! Honored to help with this amazing look! 😱 https://t.co/fJ0Bg4rv95
— Black Series Rebels (@BlkSeriesRebels) May 15, 2018
Not only was the gown a stunningly unique look, but it brought attention to the issue of a lack of diversity in the "Star Wars" franchise universe. Though the recent films have done much to course correct, it's telling that Newton's gown could only have five characters represented on it (Finn, Mace Windu, Captain Panaka, Saw Gerrera, and Lando Calrissian) and they're all men.
For now, "Star Wars" fans don't know much about Newton's mysterious "Solo" character, Val, but all will be revealed when the world sees her bring this groundbreaking character to life next week.
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" arrives in theaters on May 25. Read INSIDER's review of the anticipated prequel film here.
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