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From 'Flashdance' to 'Book of Boba Fett': Fans hail the cosmic rise of Jennifer Beals

Jennifer Beals became a superstar with the second film of her career, however, she went through a lean patch in the middle and bounced back

Jennifer Beals has been one of the prominent names in Hollywood and has been a part of the industry since the 1980s. However, she did not want to be an actress from the beginning. It was her destiny that brought her here. Even though she never stopped getting roles, her popularity went down a bit in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But life always gives you a second chance and Beals got one as well.

She returned to the smaller screen with a bang and garnered massive success with her roles. But her biggest TV role came this year when she was cast as Garsa Fwip on the Disney+ series ‘The Book of Boba Fett’. The show follows the dangerous bounty hunter (Temuera Morrison) and his ally mercenary, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), as they attempt to claim territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt.

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Although the show primarily focuses on the titular character, fans are absolutely loving the way Beals’ character has been introduced on the show and has already been labeled a “fan favorite”. The show might be a game-changer for Beals and open more doors for her. So, let’s dig a little deeper and get to know more about her.

Beals’ career started with a bang

Born on December 9, 1963, Jennifer Beals never thought of becoming an actor and received her job at an ice cream store when she was just 13 years of age. However, two events changed her life and encouraged her to become an actress. One of the events was working on a high school production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. So, this is how she managed to garner interest in the field of acting and participated in Goodman Theatre Young People’s Drama Workshop.

She was so talented that she started getting roles even before completing her graduation. Her first acting role came in 1980 with the movie ‘My Bodyguard’. But she didn’t know that her life is about to be changed completely. In 1983, she was offered the lead role in the movie ‘Flashdance’. She played the role of Alex Owens in the film, who was a welder by day and sensual dancer by night. Her dream was to get enrolled in one of the prestigious dance schools.

The movie turned out to be massively successful for her and was also nominated for four Academy Awards. Beals received a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globes and won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture. Her life completely changed and she became a superstar. However, she went back and completed her studies after the movie. She did appear in some movies while graduating, but those movies could not achieve success. In 1989, she starred opposite Nicholas Cage in ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ and portrayed the character of Rachel. The movie was a box office failure.

She went ahead and starred alongside Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle in the 1995 movie ‘Devil in the Blue Dress’, but once again, she could not get recognition as the movie bombed at the box office. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, she was seen in several TV movies, but her fame was going down and wasn’t getting the roles she deserved.

‘L Word’ and the Resurgence of Jennifer Beals

In 2004, Jennifer Beals was cast as Bette Porter on the series ‘The La Word’, a series that followed the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The series was a gigantic hit and ran for six seasons. Beals was nominated for the Best Actress accolade several times and garnered the same level of success that she got at the time of ‘Flashdance’.

Since then, she has been a part of several successful TV shows like ‘Castle’, ‘Proof’, ‘Taken’, ‘Swamp Thing’ and ‘The L Word: Generation Q’.

Fans hail Beals’ character on ‘The Book of Boba Fett’

As soon as Beals’ character was shown in the first episode, fans knew that she’s going to knock it out of the park. She plays the character of Gras Fwip, who is one of the wealthiest business owners on Tattooine and owns a Cantina in Mos Espa. In the scene, Boba Fett and her ally, Fennec, go to her cantina and let her know that Boba is the new ruler here. She was assured by him that her business will continue to flourish under his rule.

Fans were quick to share their feelings on social media and they had nothing but positive things to say about Beals. One of the fans could not believe that Beals was on the show and stated that her presence in the show is a win-win situation for everyone. She wrote, “the book of boba Fett spoilers, tbobf spoilers - - I still cannot get over the fact that this is Jennifer Beals. we have Jennifer Beals in star wars we won!”

Meanwhile, one of the users confessed his love for Beals. He noted, “The one thing that’s surprising me most about #TheBookofBobaFett is social media reaction to 58-year old Jennifer Beals. Funny to see a new generation discover a woman I’ve been crushing on since I was 7.”

“An EXCELLENT 1st chapter of #TheBookofBobaFett! we see his humbling, heroic journey from the Sarlacc pit. Loved seeing @jenniferbeals. Her smiling ways hide something more than just an accommodating business owner of Sanctuary. Cannot wait to see more of Madame Garsa,” said another fan. “No wonder Boba be full-on TRIPPING for this woman. IT’S JENNIFER BEALS,” wrote another one.

Another fan shared, “Jennifer Beals as a Twi'lek is something I wish was a thing my whole life.”

It seems Jennifer Beals has once again started ruling the hearts of viewers with her amazing acting and ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ might give her another blockbuster project in her briefcase. We can’t wait to see more of her on the show.

‘The Book of Boba Fett’ returns to Disney+ with a new episode every Wednesday.