‘The casting director took one look at me in my nightie and thought: “She’d make a marvellous fighter pilot”’ … Celia Imrie. Photograph: Giles Keyte/Netflix View image in fullscreen ‘The casting director took one look at me in my nightie and thought: “She’d make a marvellous fighter pilot”’ … Celia Imrie. Photograph: Giles Keyte/Netflix Film & Music reader interview Film Interview ‘George Lucas told me off for wearing lipstick’: Celia Imrie on Traitors, Star Wars and treating the lens like a lover As told to Rich Pelley The actor answers your questions about trapeze lessons, Bond villain ambitions and Michael Caine’s top tips
Thu 5 Nov 2026 14.00 CET Last modified on Thu 5 Nov 2026 16.22 CET Share Prefer the Guardian on Google You looked as if you had such a good time on Celebrity Traitors last year – you had them hanging on your every word. What was it like? Who have you kept in touch with? breezehillpete They absolutely didn’t hang on my every word. I’m fascinated to watch it now, because at a distance, I can see how people follow each other. That herd mentality is very evident at the round table, but I always went in a different direction and people didn’t follow me. Then, of course, I accused Alan [Carr] at the end: “I think you are one, aren’t you?”, so I had to go the next day. I didn’t quite know what I was letting myself in for, but I had a great time.
View image in fullscreen In Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint Photograph: Signature Entertainment Kate [Garraway] and I had to go on that Uncloaked thing after. She turned to me and she said: “Oh, but Celia, we’re now all one big happy family, aren’t we?” I said: “Well, frankly, I don’t want to see any of them ever again in the whole of my life,” and everybody laughed. But truthfully, we haven’t really run into each other since. Nevertheless, I think I was with a marvellous company, and I liked them all.
You appeared to be most attentive during the 1987 BBC Michael Caine Acting in Film class, which is now something of a hit on YouTube. He seemed to be a really generous and informed tutor. What techniques did you learn that you’ve taken with you? PaulyVLondon
View image in fullscreen With Alan Carr in series one of The Celebrity Traitors, in 2025. Photograph: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry Maria Aitken asked me if I’d like to take part. Some of my friends said: “Oh God, you don’t want to look like a student on television.” I said: “What are you talking about? I’d like to be able to say good morning the way Michael Caine does on film.” I was thrilled to be part of it. One of his famous things was: don’t blink in a closeup. He also said to work out any props the night before, and something rather marvellous: that you have to think of the camera as your lover. The camera is ready to love you, so you must reciprocate. I’ve remembered all of that.
So I sit down to watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and who do I see flying a spaceship? How on earth did you end up doing that? Bisleys_Jaffa_Cakes Bizarrely, I was doing a play called The Hothouse with the late, great Harold Pinter. One matinee, little did I know that the casting director for Star Wars was sitting in the audience. She took one look at me in my nightie and thought: “She’d make a marvellous fighter pilot.” And I’m absolutely delighted that I became Bravo 5.
By the way, I have no idea whether I got shot down, whether I killed anybody, whether I survived or whose side I was on. I have absolutely no idea, except that I was Brav…