Page 53 - Star Wars Insider #195

GOING GREEN

For Han Solo, bounty ndirectly, Paul
Blake has the
hunter Greedo was I casting director
little more than on a Christmas
special of classic
an unwelcome British childrens’
distraction during television series Jackanory to
thank for his role as Greedo in
a stop-off in the Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).

infamous Mos Eisley Performing alongside him was an
Cantina. But for Star actor who would soon become
internationally famous for playing
Wars fans the ill-fated C-3PO—actor Anthony Daniels. and there was nobody there apart
showdown cemented “Tony was playing a prince from this guy in the far corner, so
and I was playing a hunchbacked I went up to him and said, ‘My
the Rodian’s place in minstrel,” recalls Blake. “A week name’s Paul. You couldn’t get me a

the saga’s galactic after we’d finished, he rang me at cup of coffee, could you? I’ve just
home and said, ‘I’m doing this sci-fi come from London and I haven’t
fi rmament. film and the director’s asked me if I had any breakfast or anything.’ He

Insider recently know of any other character-actors went off, got me a cup of coffee
who are around who could do a and handed it to me. I asked him,
caught up with the bit in it. Would you be interested?’ ‘Do you know anything about
two actors who Like every other young actor of the the movie they’re shooting here?
time I was desperate for work, so I’m here to see somebody called
originally played him: I said, ‘Yeah, if I’m being paid, I’ll Geoffrey or George something,’ and
Paul Blake and Maria be there.’” he said, ‘I’m George Lucas.’
De Aragon. Blake turned up a week later at “That was my fi rst introduction
Elstree Studios and walked onto an to George, and for some reason he
all-but empty set. “It wasn’t a set at still gave me the job!”
all really, it was a soundstage with
I N T E R V I E W S :
M A R K N E W B O L D & a lot of sand and arc lights,” he Going Somewhere, Solo?
PAT J A N K I E W I C Z says. “It was early in the morning Three weeks later, Blake received a
copy of the script in the mail and
took a look to see how much he
was in it, “Like every actor does
when you get a few scenes!” he
laughs. “I read it and didn’t think
much more about it until about
a month later. Incidentally, I’ve
still got that script to this day. It’s
somewhere up in the attic.”
The actor was called down to
the movie’s wardrobe department
at Elstree where make-up artists

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