Daniels - I Am C-3PO--The Inside Story

I am

C-3PO

Anthony
Daniels

Foreword by

J.J. Abrams

authors note

A friend of mine is fluent in more than six million oh, you know the rest. Personally Im only fluent in English, as it is spoken round the corner from where I live. Since you know my voice, Ive made the decision not to adopt American spellings here, but to keep my words in the original. I hope thats OK.

(Translations are available on the Internet or from your local human-cyborg relater.)

For

my amazing wife

Christine

with love

and for

Howard

(who is also rather amazing)

and of course for

You

contents

foreword

I want to talk about Anthony (as does Anthony). But I need to give this some context. Lets start with the obvious. Theres magic in Star Wars . In all of it. From the design of the logo those outlined letters against the stylized star field to its aesthetic, production design and delicious combination of Flash Gordon space adventure and Kurosawa samurai high drama.

Theres magic in its enhanced real-life locations, gorgeously unique props and ships, sound effects and, of course, its breathtaking, instantly-classic musical score. But would we be considering or continuing a story that began nearly half a century ago if, at the heart of it all, there wasnt such a powerful sense of humanity? Surely even the genius of the lightsaber and the growl of a Wookiee would have been long forgotten if George Lucas hadnt focused so ingeniously on the souls of the main characters. It was their desires and desperation, their fears and revelations, their love and loyalty that made Star Wars a saga for the ages.

The most potent aspect of Star Wars is evident from the opening minute of the first film. After announcing that its a once upon a time fable, after the blast of unforgettably powerful music, after the thrilling crawl gives us its pulpy context, and after the awe-inspiring Star Destroyer passes us overhead and the small Blockade Runner is revealed, we cut inside to see members of the Rebellion, rocked by the attack. But what happens next is whats most important. We fall in love.

Nearly the instant we meet stalwart droids C-3PO and R2-D2, we laugh. They become our way into a galaxy were so desperate to be part of. Their fear, their bickering, their frantic need to survive is what grabs us by the heart and allows us to be mesmerized, to be taken on the cinematic adventure of a lifetime. Despite all the wondrous spectacle and artistry, the characters themselves are the glue that keeps Star Wars together and us stuck to it. Among them all, only two characters have appeared in all nine saga stories. Those two droids I first met when I was ten years old.

While I suspected that bringing Threepio to life was harder than it looked, experiencing it first-hand gave me an instant, newfound respect for the man with the golden eyes. It turns out that being inside that sensory deprivation tank of a costume is a challenge at best.

Moving, hearing and seeing is only part of the problem, as the actor playing Threepio needs to constantly interact with numerous other performers in a scene with deft, seemingly effortless comedic timing. That actor is, of course, Mr. Anthony Daniels. A gloriously witty, keen and spirited man who may be the least-recognizable superstar on the planet. When I first called Anthony about appearing in The Force Awakens , I asked if he was willing and able to return as everyones favorite humanoid droid. His enthusiasm to do so was heartening. But and Ill put it bluntly would he be able to fit in the suit? When I met Anthony and saw that he was in better shape than I will ever be, I was enormously relieved as was he that a new, more comfortable suit was going to be fabricated by costume designer Michael Kaplan and his team.

In The Force Awakens where Threepio remained mostly within the Resistance base perhaps Anthonys biggest challenge was the red arm (I gave Threepio a new limb to demonstrate that the character had gone through some dangerous adventures since wed last seen him. Anthony hated it. Hated. Like... hated. As you will see). In The Rise of Skywalker , however, Threepio is out on the wild journey with the others. That means ships and speeders, deserts and snowy villages, climbing, crashing, and encounters with some terrifying creatures. With this, the challenges for Anthony rose exponentially. But every time they would remove his mask (wearing the suit, he is unable to do that himself just think about that), there was Anthony, his face sweaty and smiling. Much like the droid he so beautifully, artfully portrays, Anthony wanted to be out on the adventure again, too.

The cast and crew of these recent films were well aware of the stakes involved in creating a third trilogy. How important it was to do well by the legions of Star Wars fans, continuing and concluding Georges remarkable tale. As surreal as it still feels to know that Ive directed two Star Wars films, I could not begin to imagine what it was like to have been there before, again and again and again, for all of the Skywalker saga. At least I couldnt until I read this insightful, delightful book.

The stories youll find in the following pages come from one of the most unique perspectives on Star Wars that could possibly exist. It is ironic that, despite Mr. Daniels limited field of vision (peering through those two slit and lit holes is the visual equivalent of breathing through a straw), this book takes a remarkably wide and deep view of the film series. Why is it that we fall in love with Threepio the moment we meet him? My humbling experience on these films has given me the answer: Its because theres a man inside. A most excellent man, who Im happy to say youre about to meet yourself.

J.J. Abrams

Los Angeles, 2019

love

It was the best job I ever had.

The story came alive every night, in front of thousands of devoted fans. Across countries and continents around the world, I narrated a finely honed script that spoke of the key moments in our beloved tale. This was Star Wars In Concert .

I stood, smart black-suited as myself, absorbing the power of it all. From 2009 from Houston to Hamburg, Tokyo to Tulsa I was enveloped in lights and laser beams, dwarfed by the symphony orchestra and choir behind me. The giant screen, backdrop to our arena stage, reminded us all of what we loved, with sequences edited around epic themes. The Villains. The Heroes. The Princess. The Battles. And John Williams glorious scores played live to picture. It was huge and inspiring. I had the best seat in the house standing there between the orchestra and the audience. I felt the power of the images, the power of the music. But the power of something else, too.

I had never truly understood the devotion of the fans, their adoration of the whole thing. Being so involved, I was too close to really appreciate it all. Now, I began to see past my own myopic stance and view the Saga reflected back to me by the faces filling the arenas. The vibrant sense of respect, of affection, of love, that flowed across the footlights was palpable. Love for the music, love for George, love for the actors on screen and some small element that made me feel loved too. It gave me an understanding of something that had eluded me for so many years.