Page 26 - Star Wars Insider #194

INTERVIEW: ANTHONY DANIELS

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eorge Lucas side totally on my own, and he 01 Daniels as Han Solo very cleverly gave C-3PO
C-3PO, with
G had initially could have done the vocal side Mark Hamill a different dynamic. As an actor
totally without me, but as we
envisaged C-3PO
you’re given what to say, and told
and George
Lucas, on set
know he changed his mind.
as a more salt-
in Tunisia for where to stand. Many of the choices
of-the-Earth are made elsewhere, in the writing
A New Hope.

character, with When you first played C-3PO, room or in the directors’ mind,
all the patter of a used automobile how long did it take you to 02 C-3PO’s rusty which, in the case of Empire, was
look in Attack
dealer. Instead, Anthony Daniels find the core of the character? Irvin Kershner. The difference,

of the Clones.
on-set delivery imbued the droid The fact that I had already possibly, was that it was all a bit
with a sense of British uptightness inhabited C-3PO by proxy for 03 Daniels more self-conscious, whereas
returned to
that stuck, as the actor explained six months while we were still the role to when we were making A New
when he sat down with Star Wars making the costume, before we voice C-3PO Hope, which wasn’t even known
in episodes

Insider to talk about his new even saw a film camera, I guess as Episode 4 then, it was the one
of The
memoir, I Am C-3PO. something of him went inside. Clone Wars and only. On Empire, I was very
Being C-3PO became instinctual. (2008-2013). self-conscious that I was making a
Star Wars Insider: It was Some actors, some really good fool of myself on set, as a character
04 Anthony
originally planned that C-3PO actors, gently talk about the Daniels (left) that might be thought of as being a
would be re-dubbed with another art of acting. Some really bad during the bit wonky. But nobody was saying,
recording of
voice. Were you surprised when actors really talk about the art of the Star “Well that’s a bit rubbish, can you
your full performance found its acting. I don’t, because I actually Wars radio try something else.” You have to
adaptaion,
way into the fi lm? don’t really understand it, and I throw yourself into it, because if you
with Bernard
Anthony Daniels: It never look at people on screen and on Behrens do it half-heartedly the audience
occurred to me that it wouldn’t. I stage and wonder “How do you (Obi-Wan absolutely won’t believe you.
Kenobi),
was doing the job, I was in front of do that, because it’s brilliant?”
Perry King
the camera, I was talking. I assumed And I can’t do it. (Han Solo), Is that the only way to perform
it was a given. I’d been on television, and Mark a character like C-3PO, to go big
Hamill (Luke
where you stand there in the light Did you approach the role any Skywalker). and project to the back row?
and you speak, they record your face differently for Star Wars: The It’s an interesting question. To talk
and your voice, and you watch it Empire Strikes Back (1980)? about somebody else’s performance,
on TV. Why would it be different? It was different words, and different Ahmed Best has a huge brain and
George left me to do the physical situations. Being partnered with a huge wit. In Jar Jar Binks he
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