EMILIA: STAR WARS IS CHILD’S PLAY

BRIT Emilia Clarke has been getting ready for her Star Wars role since she was a kid.

The actress used to love dressing up as space heroine Princess Leia.

Now Emilia, 31, has joined the sci-fi franchise for new flick Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Long before being cast she was donning fancy dress to pretend to be Carrie Fisher’s character.

In an exclusive chat, Emilia said: “I wasn’t even alive when the first film came out, but my brother was the biggest Star Wars fan so I always used to dress up as characters on Halloween.

“But I had no idea who I was supposed to be.”

Emilia finally got hooked on Star Wars three years ago when she went to see The Force Awakens. She said: “I was like ‘yep, that’s how you make a blockbuster movie’. Ever since then I’ve wanted to be part of Star Wars, now here I am.”

The latest flick is a standalone story about the young Han Solo, played by Alden Ehrenreich.

In the spin-off, which was released on Thursday, Emilia plays the new character Qi’ra, Han’s childhood sweetheart.

London-born Emilia is known to millions for playing Daenerys Targaryen in Game Of Thrones but this film is set to make her an even bigger star.

She said: “Star Wars fans are incredible. They are obviously known for their passion and dedication. It’s similar to Game Of Thrones because they are also massively passionate.”

Emilia signed a contract to say she wouldn’t reveal the plot.

She said: “My experience on Game Of Thrones helped me when it came to the spoilers – I have keeping my mouth zipped down to a fine art now.”