Oola Talks Filming Return of The Jedi & Returning to Star Wars! (Femi Taylor Interview)

You might know Femi Taylor better as Jabba The Hutt's slave dancer, Oola from Return of The Jedi. The green skinned Twi'lek famously fell into the Rancor pit but we never actually saw her perish, so could she return to the Star Wars franchise? With that in mind Femi reprises her iconic dance to prove that she still has what it takes to play the character again. She also talks about her experiences on set and returning to re shoot her same scene fifteen years later for the Star Wars Special Editions.
This is Episode 7 of THESE ARE THE ACTORS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!
Cameras by Charles Barclay and Sean Persani.
Written and Produced by Jamie Stangroom and Vince Ives
The Kooks 'oola' cover by One Lone Boy: www.oneloneboy.com
Special Thanks to Watford FilmFair Comic Con.
I do not own any footage or music from Disney/Lucasfilm...obviously.
Subscribe to the channel for more Star Wars interviews, including episodes of my exclusive KZbin series - 'These Are The Actors You're Looking For'. There you'll find interviews with the actors behind - Boss Nass, Boba Fett, Greedo, Jar Jar Binks, Gold Leader, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Vader & many more...
Follow me on Twitter & Instagram @jamiestangroom
And over on Facebook using @sillyhairedfool

[@femiogilvy]

Jamie Stangroom........well done👏🏾 great job with editing and the interview, so different from all the others that I have been involved with. Such fun being a part of this film project. Thank you.Femi Taylor💃🏾

[@TheGeeknd]

Hey Femi, thank you for checking it out and for the taking the time to chat to me on that sunny Watford day (feels like a time ago ago now!). Hope you're well and speak soon. J

[@booki7057]

Are you the real Femi? I am a fake Hux x3

[@philipjennelle4257]

Femi Ogilvy Hi there Femi I'm such a fan of yours and you killed the role of Oola

[@Night_Rider83]

If you're the real Femi, I absolutely love you. We all do.

[@0xc1d34]

You are a hero in Star Wars 🌟

[@societalanchor]

Jesus she aged well.

[@shable1436]

Black don't crack Oola Green stays lean

[@groovecrusader2715]

@@shable1436 blacks smoke crack

[@3D4Ureel]

She doesn't age at all! She's a twilek for real

[@TheMrKlump]

For real. Insane that it's really her, I mean that movie came out almost 34 years ago.

[@MonkeyKingsformerroomate]

I was just gonna say that too. :) Stunning woman!

[@PauLtus_B]

So I looked it up. She's from 1961. Making her 55 or 56. What kind of alien magic is that?

[@jwhaler82]

Do twi'leks not age?

[@cheeseham9503]

Black don't crack

[@sarahsue123]

Holy crap 30 years later and she's still so stunning. She could still play Oola. Lovely interview!

[@KevyNova]

sarahsue123 37 years later! Wow!

[@brownsamurai3070]

She was only 56. For some that's old. For others, not really.

[@ruffkuntry2574]

Bring Femi Taylor back to Star Wars in The Book of Boba Fett!!! She can portray Oola’s sister as a freedom fighter 😍

[@MartinGrozny]

How is she looking so good!? She's halfway through her fifties, for Christ's sake!

[@jwhaler82]

Christie Brinkley is 63 and was just in SI Swimsuit edition. So I guess anything is possible.

[@squamish4244]

It is amazing, isn't it?

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

Yeh I'd tap that and no mistake.

[@AH-be6bu]

HOW THE F*&%??!?

[@yuvarudra6602]

Yep sure but not a fat or weak lady 😝😝😝😝

[@thesuperbuff8429]

She looks fantastic! She's kept in great shape!

[@thesuperbuff8429]

She could still play her now!

[@TheGeeknd]

She really could, easy.

[@ruffkuntry2574]

@@TheGeeknd They should Bring Femi Taylor back to Star Wars in The Book of Boba Fett! She could portray Oola’s sister as a freedom fighter!

[@Pointblankmos]

She looks like she's in her early 30s. How dis possible.

[@thetruthchannel349]

i know? Was she 12? What the heck?

[@adawg853]

It's because she's black

[@henryhammond7393]

Yeah, hate to say it but... black don't crack.

[@txmoney]

She looks amazing! Haven't you ever heard the phrase, "Black don't crack"?

[@henryhammond7393]

Though I think being a dancer might have more to do with it. Every dancer I know has aged incredibly.

[@alexitorico6686]

I always had a crush on her since I was a kid when I first saw Return of the Jedi.

[@nathancruz9172]

Me too. Especially the metal bikini 👙 from Leia.

[@XDivi]

She ain't a Twi'lek, she's a god damn celestial or something because she is IMMORTAL!

[@ajzeg01]

When I was a kid, Oola was always my favourite, Leia be damned!

[@TheGeeknd]

Controversial ;-)

[@DARTHVADER-nq9pu]

She's beautiful

[@kbrou74]

I have a feeling your channel is going to explode

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks dude :-)

[@roach9397]

We're getting in on the ground floor.

[@TheGeeknd]

You guys are the originals :-)

[@williambaldwin9068]

Kbrous74 i totally agree with this guy and im not trying to get one of those heart thingies by my comment

[@TheGeeknd]

Have one anyway ;-)

[@geeguy7429]

How does one age so damn well? Bless this woman.

[@wadeintoyourimagination7101]

She's absolutely beautiful. And she's in her 50s? Wow.

[@mrowoofers101]

Fun fact, Oola was actually supposed to survive and have a very significant role, but due to budget cuts and all that stuff, they couldn't do much, hence, into the rancor hatch, down she went. I would like to see that happen in the future as a retcon or even if it's legends or just a high production fan film.

[@GRANOLA77]

Yeah she was gonna be a jedi master

[@mrowoofers101]

@@GRANOLA77 Oh, really? That would've been awesome. Definitely would like to see an alternative timeline story where that happens. Imagine if she used the force unknowingly/unintentionally to close the gate down onto the rancor or something. That would've been a big "holy shit, there's another force user!" moment.

[@Adamguy2003]

I'd LOVE to see that in some form!

[@GRANOLA77]

I was being sarcastic because this guy is obviously trolling

[@mrowoofers101]

@@GRANOLA77 Who, me? I'm not trolling, that's honestly what I've heard. Maybe it was just a rumor or an unreliable source I heard it from? Idk, but that's what I've heard.

[@dbevit]

She was born in 1960, so she is 57!!!!

[@Kwijiboz]

Wow! that is hard to believe, she looks fantastic

[@Kazahmish]

and I was born in 1966, and look NOTHING like I did in my early 20s or so.. in fact I was getting senior citizen discounts when I was just 35.. oh well..

[@dbevit]

:D

[@donbizarrascas644]

So, she is the age Alec Guinness was when he played Obi Wan!!

[@Kazahmish]

actually Sir Alec was 63, which ironically is the same age Mark Hamill was when Force Awakens was done... so she still has a couple years to go :)

[@mysteryperson1976]

Oola's story is really sad. Had she not danced so well that day, she would have made a friend in Leia the next day. She also would have been rescued by Leia and her buddies.

[@tauto1492]

I'm still upset about what happened to Oola's character because of budget reasons

[@Niko-gt3hr]

Luke Skywalker hitting on Oola? FAN FICTION WRITERS TO YOUR KEYBOARDS YOU HAVE A QUITE THE MATTER ON YOUR HANDS!!

[@TheGeeknd]

haha, this could get scary!

[@ruffkuntry2574]

I have a fan fiction of Oola. She’s a completely different character who is somewhat important. Anyone care to read it?

[@jasperalmoore]

Forget the 15 year gap, she looks the same 35 years later!

[@skyearl1816]

damn she's still lookin hella fine!

[@antidiablo386]

How is this posible? She looks really,really beaitiful and young.

[@mckdink]

Black dont Crack lol

[@nickcastrellon909]

My god she is gorgeous! 😍 It is said that females Twi'lek are renowned for their beauty. I can see why they are modeled after her.

[@DanielRieger]

where are your other hundreds of thousands of subscribers? I think youtube is broken

[@TheGeeknd]

In the Rancor pit I guess :-(

[@goranorrskog6296]

we've to spread the word... gosh, we're gonna be Jamie's witnessess :S xD

[@Legionaer666]

She still looks great. I wonder why they have searched for a black dancer specifically and not a female dancer in general. Would the twilek makeup look different on lighter skin or what was the reason?

[@Alex-pg8zl]

Facial structure perhaps?

[@Filip1613]

I don't think they originally knew that they were going to pain her green and wanted a black actress. Later maybe the slavery theme was too far so they changed it but why would they recast? If anything white skin would've made it easier to put make up on. She mentions this in, they had to put 4 layers.

[@ericsilva4472]

Kemal Sunal I wondered the same thing. An Asian dancer may have worked just as well

[@noirerequiemii101]

well the other Twi'lek was asian so i think they just didn't want to say- we need someone to play an alien

[@ericsilva4472]

Yea that's true, and the Jedi twi'lek doesn't look black either

[@collegeman1988]

She had a very small part, but it was a very memorable role. The original trilogy rocks!

[@TheGeeknd]

🤘🏻

[@collegeman1988]

Jamie Stangroom Yeah!

[@tedgruver7618]

Very memorable for making female Twi’leks beautiful.

[@Pewling]

My goodness, she is so gorgeous and sweet!

[@chrisjhart]

These clips are always great! I have met Femi a few times and she is about the friendliest person you could meet

[@TheGeeknd]

She's lovely isn't she?

[@nathancruz9172]

@@TheGeekndes, she is.

[@jedicrush1497]

Beautiful woman😀

[@JC-om7nr]

How old

[@zilverwing]

Who cares?

[@MOA0831]

Jedi Crush GOSH...Creator, she is gorgeous. She was gorgeous in Star Wars.

[@MOA0831]

Jedi Crus h this woman is underrated and under the radar, Godly gifted beautiful and inspiring charisma.

[@mitskibeefyballsacks6298]

Murder Muffin innit all these people in the commend thread are gross

[@tomiwaaina5499]

wtf how hasn't she aged? It's like 23 years later!!!???

[@WayStedYou]

Bit more than 23 years

[@andrew7955]

Try 35 years (during the video)

[@chilly22]

wow shes gorgeous all these years later :O

[@cannonfodder4000]

Black don't crack

[@TheJavaMonkey]

Wow. She hasn’t aged a day.

[@rody73]

No way she looks this good! she should play Hera

[@jawahasfootfetish7326]

great boi i think juliana harkavy is a better pick,i dont this pretty lady play a similar character

[@androshi2558]

Best Star Wars show on KZbin!

[@TheGeeknd]

Awwww man, thank you!!

[@user-lp3ew1xb5u]

Great video as always - and at the risk of sounding like a cad -- she's very beautiful - even decades later.

[@TheGeeknd]

Thank you my friend!

[@erickallan78]

for the love of Pete, what a stunning beauty!!!!! and she's quite funny, too.... great piece, I laughed quite a bit!

[@TheGeeknd]

Hey man. Glad you enjoyed, I had fun making it

[@lieutenantnomad9198]

She still looks good after over 30 years later! I guess black don't crack!

[@em.4774]

Wow she has a very nice voice 😍💚.

[@KingofCannabis]

She has barely aged in 30 years.

[@SkellyRen]

Best microphone ever. Love the green windscreen really nice touch!

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks dude! Glad to hear you like my micsaber :-)

[@AlexSkullUterna]

Qui-Gon Jinn's saber

[@CMCustom112]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. You dont get behind the scenes with actors like these on the dvds. Interviews are fun and the actors enjoy them. Keep up the good work.

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks Christopher, glad you're enjoying them so far. More to come!

[@jbro8934]

Sexiest thing in the whole world: black woman with a British accent

[@naturesquad9174]

DAMN. Don't crack!

[@echoinnovationltd4759]

meet her today at telford comic con........how can star wars be 40 years ago and she still looks like this........amazing.

[@senfistyleprojects]

Telford in Shropshire?

[@yuvarudra6602]

How can she come back unless there was any hidin spot ??? 😝😝😝 even if she managed to get an hidin spot then wont jabba be a dumb fool ???? 😝😝😝 they watch n enjoy their enemiez gettin eaten 😝😝😝

[@nairbas392]

Yes ! Finally I was waiting for this! I was watching Elstree 1976 then I noticed this is my sub box. She hasn't aged at all either

[@TheGeeknd]

Thank you! Sorry for the delay in getting it out there. It feels like I filmed it a long time ago. I've probably done some aging myself since then ;-)

[@steverino6954]

He didn't ask her how she felt about being the most paused moment in the Star Wars franchise, referring to the scene where Jabba is pulling her toward the pit and her breast falls out of her top.

[@chiarifairy6862]

While Oola is technically the second Twi'lek to be seen in the Star Wars franchise (Bib Fortuna was the first), the Twi'leks likely wouldn't have become one of the most recognizable species in Star Wars without Femi Taylor's performance. Secondly, I think it's really interesting that the casting call was for a black woman when they were going to paint her skin green anyway. Not to drum up controversy, just an interesting detail that they knew they wanted a black actress for Oola.

[@tedgruver7618]

Second Twi’lek overall and the first female Twi’lek in the series.

[@bluebirdsigma]

As the late John Hurt would put it... "oh no, not again!"

[@2thinkcritically]

_"Hello, ma Baby!_ _Hello, ma Honey!_ _Hello, ma ragtime gal!"_

[@themadlion7634]

Black don't crack. A good diet, clean living, and having Melanin is the secret.

[@noahw3309]

This was in the recomended for lapti nek

[@TheGeeknd]

Cool man, thanks for letting me know!

[@jamimakela5540]

This is Probably my favourite KZbin series about Star Wars currently!

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks dude! I'll happily take that accolade :-)

[@squamish4244]

Adding to her scenes was a good idea, too bad GL had to insert that terrible song :(

[@LittleJoeTheMoonlightCat]

Next up Find the 1998 Cast of CATS.

[@Taulbenator]

Even now, she looks so young!

[@markives9257]

She looks great. Black don't crack honey.

[@PimpMan6]

The guy who played the gonk droid was an Oompa Loompa

[@TheGeeknd]

True dat. Rusty Goffe.

[@tdogger73]

Loving these interviews! Keep up the good work, I'll be waiting with baited bantha breath for the next one.

[@TheGeeknd]

Cheers, Tony!!

[@YouFoundBen]

Rémi is apparently immortal. Another great video, Jamie!

[@seaningram4434]

She's gorgeous! :) ;)

[@Fireglo]

"The weirdly deserted Comic-con gym" LMAO XD

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks for watching 👍🏻

[@MalcomXlax]

Once again, great stuff dude👍😉

[@TheGeeknd]

Once again, thank you my friend :-)

[@MalcomXlax]

Word up, son ;)

[@notv_internetuser3789]

She looks so young after more than thirty years

[@RyanMinardovic]

I love that Mark Hamill a d Billy D both made their move. Also, can't believe how she aged. Incredible!

[@jamesf791]

Seems like a wonderful lady, too bad they never made an action figure of her. All the best

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks for watching, James.

[@adfot1]

Great stuff, always gutted there was no Kenner figure of her back in the day..

[@TAGMedia7]

She's gorgeous!

[@locallemon9323]

Fantastic video! Really interesting, keep up the good work! Also I swear I saw someone who looked pretty much exactly like you on Monday!

[@TheGeeknd]

You never know, it's a small world...kinda. Where was this potential sighting?

[@OolalaChaos]

Love her! Great interview, great series! Keep up the good work Jamie!

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks dude :-)

[@CloneShockTrooper]

This woman has not aged a bit... omg! She looks so beauty! And the golden rule is that if you dont see the character being ripped apart, blown apart... then who knows.. so yeah.. Oola can and hopefully could return..

[@TheGeeknd]

You never know! Thanks for watching all these videos dude 👍

[@swf4841]

She looks amazing.

[@jujub4553]

She’s so beautiful! 🧡

[@DanielSilva-nr2cd]

She's still a certified babe.

[@brawy1]

Such an underrated character. Loved her! The actress is so beautiful.

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks for watching :)

[@auntvesuvi3872]

I like what I can see of your chest, Jamie. 😉 Thanks so much for this video! It was delightful to see Femi out of her green make-up... and to hear about her experiences doing (and reprising) the role.

[@TheGeeknd]

Ah thanks! Glad you liked the video...and the chest! Hope you're well. J

[@auntvesuvi3872]

You're so very welcome!!! 🌷 Yes, all is calm on my end, thanks.

[@troublesomecorsair]

All the original songs seem to be better than the replacements. The ending ewok song was better, too. It was more silly, but it matched the movie better.

[@TheGeeknd]

I agree with most of the originals being better but I'm really torn between yub nub and the special edition ending track.

[@cujoedaman]

Lol, Billy Dee Williams wasn't playing Lando Calrissian, he WAS Lando Calrissian! And she pretty much confirms what fans have said, original song was better :D

[@sandal_thong8631]

Maybe Lucas got Meco's disco version stuck in his head and that's why he needed a new one.

[@willfairbanks4798]

i think its great yall touched on the origonial song lapti nek, and how it fits much better, would love to see a some more on lapti nek and the perfromer who did it for jedi thabks jamie your the greatest!

[@OfficialAndies]

Credit to Femi, the woman doesn't seem to age. Also has a British accent! (shouldn't be surprised though).

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks for watching, dude!

[@ThomasMusings]

Dang, she still looks good.

[@MOA0831]

She should have a script written where she saves the Twilik race from slavery.

[@TheGeeknd]

That’d be cool 👍🏻

[@coreyhaga2623]

Oola Oh la la 😍

[@cynthiadefrang4383]

She’s probably happy that she probably won’t have to play the movie role of a slave ever again

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks for watching, Cynthia

[@Djgraz007theforc]

she is a beautiful person, outside and inside. Jamie you have outdone yourself.

[@TheGeeknd]

+Djgraz007theforc thanks my friend! Thanks again for watching 👍

[@bitwawesome1]

Romance girl

[@Dan.50]

She doesn't age??

[@TheGeeknd]

Twi'lek's don't age ;-)

[@coleschubert9868]

She looks the same as she did 35 years ago!

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

She has barely aged, that is amazing.

[@philipjennelle4257]

When I first saw her in the movie as a child could tell under the make by her facial complections that she was a black woman. Not that I had a problem with that but I though she was so beautiful and she of course still is.

[@vonijoe]

Probably, the Rancor would chew her up and NOT spit her out. Or is there something toxic about Oola's costume?

[@VictoriasCantina]

Amazing!

[@Xballawanaka]

if she was in episode 5 alongside mark and Carrie how come she looks so young?

[@WayStedYou]

Well she would've only been 22 or so at the time they filmed it

[@DavidBrown-xm8ou]

4:27 Oola-la!

[@gridcoregilry666]

just another great vid in the series. she's incredible, really beautiful even now. great mic and nice music!

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanks, Julio :-)

[@TomGreene]

great interview Jamie!

[@TheGeeknd]

Thanking you for watching, Tom.

[@NKWTI]

It's absolutely ridiculous that not only did she look exactly the same for the reshoot, but she looks exactly the same now. It's really just freakin crazy how much she has not changed a single freaking bit.

[@jamessalvatore7054]

She looks amazing after all this years.

[@Jesse12489]

She started the twi'leks sex symbol. Because if her. All female twi'leks are beautiful. Good thing this movie never came out during this time. Because if we had a black girl playing as a green girl and she was a slave people will be bitching up the wall. Technically she was the first black girl to play The Green Girl. Looking at you Zoey in Guardians of the Galaxy.

[@superq1203]

Se is Great....black dont crack.

[@PapaEli-pz8ff]

That's gotten kind of old.. time to move on