C-3P0 himself, Anthony Daniels, explains why his first reaction to learning about ‘The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special’ was “are you crazy?”
Anthony Daniels has been involved with the world of Star Wars long enough to know better than to claim ownership over his most famous role. But in the below video interview with Collider, he did say that he felt protective of C-3PO, the protocol droid who Daniels has played in 10 of the films, plus countless video game and TV projects. (He even is featured in theme park rides.) “I’m kind of the guardian of who he is,” he says, noting that on set, he’d more often than not talk to people (including The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams) about what C-3PO would and wouldn’t do.
Daniels’ latest portrayal of the beloved robot comes in The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, a project which Daniels confesses he was initially wary of, as someone who survived the infamous 1978 original, an experience which he does not remember fondly — to the point that when he was approached to participate in this new LEGO update, his initial reaction was “Are you crazy?”
But, as he explained with a laugh, the key difference was the word LEGO, as the LEGO brand has not just become synonymous with extremely adorable takes on pop culture, but a certain degree of parody that popular franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter might otherwise avoid. “They’re teasing here, they’re taking you on adventures you wouldn’t normally be able to go on,” he said of the special, which features Rey (voiced here by Helen Sadler) spending Life Day by taking a timey-wimey trip through Star Wars history.
We didn’t have a long time to speak, but Daniels did manage to address a question I’ve been curious about for years — how does he describe the relationship between C-3PO and his everpresent companion R2-D2 — by talking about the wild experience of making the first Star Wars, and essentially having to act opposite “this box” on set without any sort of sound effects, which would eventually (and brilliantly) be added to the film by legendary sound designer Ben Burtt, “who put on those wonderful beeps and burbles.”
For the complete interview, watch the video below:
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is streaming now on Disney+ (and you can buy Daniels’ memoir, I Am C-3PO, at all major retailers). For more, read our review of the Holiday Special and check out the trailer.
About The Author
