London, Nov 25 (IANS): Actress Gwendoline Christie says she wanted to be involved in the "Star Wars" franchise since the time she first saw late actress Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.

Christie,39, felt "unbelievable joy" when she was cast as Captain Phasma in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" because she dreamed of being a part of the sci-fi universe after being captivated by the character of Princess Leia in the original movies when she was a child, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"I can remember the precise moment I was cast as Captain Phasma in 'Star Wars'. It was an explosion of unbelievable joy. For a long time, I had campaigned to be in the franchise to anyone who would listen," said Christie.

"It was an ambition motivated by one of my earliest memories, of when, aged six, I was placed in front of the flamboyant space opera. I marvelled at this fantasy world in a way I couldn't yet articulate, with its misfits and droids and a woman who fought the enemy with intelligence, who was funny and refused to be shackled - the inimitable Princess Leia," she added.

Christie felt "truly electrified" when she saw her costume for the first time because it hadn't been made sexy just because of her gender.

"When I was taken to the top-secret wardrobe department to see my Captain Phasma costume - a shiny, full-body suit of armour - I was truly electrified. Kathleen Kennedy, president of LucasFilm, had asked me if I'd ever Googled 'female superheroes' and proceeded to show me the results; a plethora of scantily clad, cartoon-like women and not a whole lot else," she said.