Anthony Daniels: my life as C-3PO

Daniels joined puppeteer Brian Herring on our stage to talk about his memoir I Am C-3PO. In this podcast – a must listen for Star Wars fans – recorded from their live talk, Daniels reminisces fondly about his time playing one of the most famous droids in cinematic history.

The actor reveals he was kept away from the press and publicity of the early movies, in order to maintain the illusion that C-3PO was an actual robot. He also explains how the emergence of green screen technology fed the resurgence of Star Wars and the prequel trilogy, yet the real thrill for actors came from appearing on real scenery.

Prompted by Herring – himself the lead puppeteer for rolling droid BB-8 in the Star Wars sequel trilogy – Daniels also discusses the trials of portraying emotion as a robot whose expression never changes, the challenges of working with non-speaking robot co-stars and incredibly enthusiastic directors alike, and how he feels about the likely end of the Star Wars series of films.

‘It took over two hours to get into the costume, and I’d had enough. We hadn’t even started shooting and I wanted out of this. But, we were in the middle of the desert and there were no taxis. I couldn’t leave.’

Anthony Daniels on the difficulties of donning his C-3PO costume for the first time