Page 29 - Star Wars Insider #194

INTERVIEW: ANTHONY DANIELS

from Metropolis (1927) didn’t either with the face on the back of
compare. And, even in spite of my head, so I was looking this way
everybody’s hard work, it just didn’t and his face was looking the other
work. I think one of the reasons the way, or with my hand up through
costume was slightly problematic his chest. I was literally puppeteering.
is because our human bodies have We did it in so many ways. Balancing
layers of skin and fat that you can on one leg, in costume, holding a
push slightly aside, but metal is very prop leg, and speaking and acting,
unforgiving, and it stays where it “I’m standing here in pieces and
is. It wasn’t the greatest experience. you’re having delusions of grandeur.”
It all made sense in the end, and of I was stood there with one leg in
course the audience don’t need to my hand and this leg up behind
know about the issues of wearing a me, because you can really cheat
difficult costume. They just see the with the single eye of the camera,

fi nished result. provided you’ve aligned things, so
you couldn’t see my leg behind me.
Long after the mania of the It’s much easier now, with so much
original trilogy, you were greenscreen everywhere.
approached to return for the I talk about the magic of stage
prequels. What was your fi rst illusionists in the book, and that
thought when they there are effects in
asked you back? “Being partnered The Empire Strikes
Well, C-3PO had Back where we
never really left with Han Solo created so much
me. Although I’d just by wearing
done all sorts of very cleverly the costume in
other jobs and gigs, a different way.
I had often been gave C-3PO And I could
involved with other speak normally,
spin-off activities, a different and breathe!
05 like exhibitions dynamic.”
and writing for Star With the many
Wars Insider, but pinch points and
I was very surprised when I met unforgiving edges of the costume,
with George Lucas, who explained how did that effect the physical
C-3PO’s origins, his nascence, and element of your performance?
how he’d forgotten everything. There’s no room for normal
They had somebody else gestures. We’re very manual, as
operating the C-3PO puppet for humans. It’s part of our sense of
The Phantom Menace, so I was just expression, although other nations
doing the voice, but that changed in and countries do it differently. I
the second episode where I wore— knew that if I moved in a certain
and, to my horror, destroyed!—the way then the costume would pinch
puppet. It was interesting to do, to me, but I would still do it because
carry and perform him in a way occasionally you had to. And the
that wasn’t physically wearing the hands! Only in this very last movie
suit. But then George changed the do I quite deliberately pick things
storyline, and the puppet never up that are small, because I’ve
appeared in the movie. C-3PO was never been able to do that before.
just a rusty version instead. I learned to use what I had. In the
In Empire, when C-3PO was book, I talk about one of my favorite
physically blasted apart, I wore the moments in all of the movies—my
07 costume in all sorts of strange ways, confrontation with Han Solo

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