‘Solo’ Star Thandie Newton Almost Quit Acting Before ‘Westworld’

Between becoming the breakout hit of HBO’s Westworld and snagging a starring role in Solo: A Star Wars Story, things are going pretty well for actress Thandie Newton. Prior to taking on these roles, the actress considered leaving acting behind to focus on other aspects of filmmaking and her life at home.

“I was actually thinking of, very seriously, thinking of quitting acting because I write now and I wanted to direct my own material. And we have three children,” Newton shared with Deadline of her attitude before accepting these roles. “Time is precious. The time I’m gonna spend away from my children has to really be worthwhile and it was becoming less and less worthwhile for me, frankly, aside from paying the bills, and so on.”

More than just growing passionate about other realms of filmmaking, Newton felt she had more to offer the world than the opportunities being presented to her.

“And I’d found myself being in situations where I was being exploited, plain and simple,” Newton confessed. “Whether it was with nudity, whether it was with using the skills that I’d honed and taken time to grow, and I really care about what I do, as an actor, and I’m using those skills to say words that I couldn’t fully get behind, as a political activist, as a thinker, as an anthropologist who’s got a degree from Cambridge University. “

Her role in the HBO series requires many nude scenes, though Newton recalled an instance in which it was made quite clear that she was viewed as little more than a titillating visage.

“I had experiences where I felt horrified by the way I had been treated, frankly. There was a producer once who, I was arguing about not wanting to take my top off in a scene because it just seemed…it was ridiculous,” Newton recalled. “It was a husband and wife having a quick bit of makeup sex, and it was a bit of a sad moment, really, and they wanted me to be completely naked and make a big deal out of taking my top off and I said, ‘That’s not real to me. It doesn’t make sense in the scene.’ And he actually said, ‘Kid…Thandie Newton, top off, ratings.’ And I laughed because I was grateful for the honesty, in some ways, because I thought, ‘Well I’m definitely not doing it now.’”

Luckily for Newton and her fans, she connected with both Westworld and Solo in compelling ways, with her skills as a thespian being utilized to their full potential.

Solo: A Star Wars Story lands in theaters Friday and Westworld airs Sunday nights at 9 pm ET.

Do you have a favorite role of Newton’s? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

[H/T Deadline]