The long awaited Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will hit cinemas this week following a slew of high octane premieres across Los Angeles, Cannes and London. As the fifth film in a billion dollar franchise, the roll out has been the epitome of opulence and good old fashioned Hollywood glamour – mainly fronted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
For the first time the superstar screenwriter and Emmy-winning actress will appear as the leading lady in a blockbuster movie, cementing her rise from the hustling on the Edinburgh Fringe festival circuit to the upper echelons of theatre, television and cinema.
And boy does she look the part. Last night she stunned at the UK premiere wearing a gorgeous, futuristic sleek, figure hugging chainmail dress from Saudi Arabian couture label Ashi Studio that she paired with a regal white cape. Posing alongside her co star Harrison Ford – whose films have grossed more than £8 billion worldwide across his 60 year career – the multi-hyphenate looked every inch the Hollywood starlet.
“She’s certainly capable of being a movie star,” said Harrison Ford in her latest cover for the July/ August issue of Vanity Fair. “It’s a question of whether or not she wants to endure that responsibility. Whatever it is that we think she should do, she’ll have a better idea. She’s sitting on top of the pile right now.”
That includes the fashion pile, too. For their LA premiere earlier this month she sported an equally elegant abdomen-baring cut-out by Alexander McQueen, while at Cannes she opted for a Dolce & Gabbana lace polo-come-corset dress. Perhaps her most jaw dropping look, however, was the Schiaparelli Haute Couture dress that she wore for the film’s premiere at Cannes – which is the celebrity-preferred brand for best dressed red carpet fashion.
Behind her Hollywood makeover has been stylist Ryan Hastings, who works with Anya Taylor-Joy and Rooney Mara, as well as celebrity stylist Elizabeth Saltzman, who also styles Gwyneth Paltrow, Saoirse Ronan and Jodie Comer. Together they’ve crafted Waller-Bridge’s undeniably A list look since she cracked America in 2019.
The 37-year-old was born and raised in West London. After graduating from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2006 she made her stage debut at the Soho Theatre in 2009, where she played a trickster bond trader who misused her sex appeal. Yet, it was her then-low budget one-woman play “Fleabag” that she wrote and starred in 2013 that put her name on the map. Although it was described as “a tad contrived” by The Times and The Guardian rated it 3 out of 5 stars, it dominated the Fringe — winning the coveted First Award.
Still, she hadn’t properly started on the long and winding road to Hollywood — first she needed to crack the UK. Fortunately the BBC caught wind of the buzzy, slightly perverse show and commissioned it for their late night comedy channel, BBC Three, in 2016.
It was an immediate cult hit. Fans were hysterical about the “Fleabag” character for its unflinchingly honest exploration of modern womanhood. Mike Hale from The New York Times praised the show for its "restless, almost feral energy and its slap-in-the-face attitude.” While Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times commended its unpredictability, acting, and "clear eye for truth that often becomes, like all good comedy, quite devastating.”
It was the second series though that became a widespread cultural phenomenon. By then the BBC had moved the show to its main channel, BBC One and Amazon Prime picked it up for its US audience.
At the 2019 Emmy Awards after picking up her third win (across categories Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Comedy Series and Best Comedy Writing), Waller-Bridge told the ceremony’s audience “this is just getting ridiculous” before adding that the journey from a 2014 Edinburgh one-woman show to BBC series has been ‘absolutely mental’.
Little did she know it was only the beginning. Within a week Amazon Prime had offered the rising superstar a staggering £16 million deal to write and produce new content for the streaming service. Then James Bond came knocking on the bequest of Daniel Craig himself, practically begging Waller-Bridge to work her magic into the mega franchise’s 25th script.
It’s no wonder BBC’s Director of Content, Charlotte Moore, has described Waller-Bridge as “a phenomenal force of nature”.
“She has taken the world by storm with her breathtakingly original creations [Fleabag and Killing Eve] and is an utterly unique writer and performer,” she added. “[Her] emotional honesty and mischievous wit constantly surprises and captures the zeitgeist, and leaves the audience only craving more.”
From topping the Radio Times’ annual power list in 2022, beating the likes of journalist Emily Maitlis and broadcaster Stacey Dooley, to playing Harrison Ford’s god-daughter in one of the biggest movie franchises in history, Waller-Bridge is showing no signs of slowing down. Expect plenty more acting and sartorial triumphs to come.
