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On the phone, Anthony Daniels sounds a whole lot like C-3PO, his character in “Star Wars.”
Like the golden droid, the British actor’s cordial “Good morning” makes him sound like a butler. And when he recites a line from the films, a “Star Wars” geek could get positively giddy.
Here’s something else to make them even happier: Daniels is headed to Omaha to host “Star Wars: In Concert” at Qwest Center Omaha on Tuesday. He recently phoned in to answer some questions about every Jedi’s favorite protocol droid.
Q. You’re the one actor who’s been involved in all six movies.
A. Absolutely right. I’m the only person that worked on all six “Star Wars” films. At the same time, I’ve worked on so many different off-shoots or spin-offs of the movie.
I think “Star Wars: In Concert” is truly the best. I’m very lucky to have lived this long to understand and have shared the whole thing with music lovers and “Star Wars” lovers alike. I started off acting on stage, and this is a wonderful combination because I do act out the story on stage. And of course I’m not dressed as Threepio, but there are moments when his character pops out of me.
Q. Having done that character for so many years, has it ever gotten old or tired for you?
A. I think there was kind of a dip in the middle where I thought, “What am I doing?” Since, reason took over and I am very fond of the character. I get to have some very lovely experiences because of him. In the last few years, I have realized what a wonderful gift George Lucas gave me: The opportunity to be Threepio, to be with Threepio, to be friends of Threepio. It doesn’t get old, no.
Across the world, I get the constant re-energizing for people coming up and saying, “Thank you for 30 years of my childhood,” and that kind of thing. And that’s lovely. I am, by accident, part of people’s lives. The reaction I get on stage when I come out at the beginning of “Star Wars: In Concert” is usually very, very big. I think it happens not because I’ve stepped out at that segment, but because they’ve known me for 30-something years and have never have been able to say, “Thank you” or “Wow” or “What fun.” The fact that I suddenly am there to cement those reactions comes as a great feeling.
Q. Being that most of your work was in the golden suit, do you get recognized a lot walking down the street?
A. More and more. Yesterday was my day off and lots of people came up and said, “We loved the show. Could we take a picture?” They’re all very, very nice. If you see “Star Wars: In Concert,” my face is actually spread 60 feet across the screen, so you do get a pretty good idea of what I look like.
Q. Do you ever watch the movies?
A. I don’t watch the movies unless I’m doing some kind of research. Of course, the good thing is with technology, I can now fast forward through all the other bits that I’m not in. (Laughs.) I do watch myself (on the video screens of “Star Wars: In Concert”) every night and sometimes see C-3PO as himself and other times I am remembering how difficult that scene was to do, noticing something wrong with the costume or all the errors in the films.
Q. You’ve talked about how uncomfortable that costume is. Would you ever get back into it?
A. I was wearing it a few months ago because we are redoing “Star Tours” (an attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios) and for various technical reasons, we needed some shots. It’s not my favorite outfit, but I don’t need to wear it very much now. I prefer to look at Threepio from the outside, shall we say. But I wouldn’t be here today unless I put in all that homework and effort.
Q. Do you remember any of the lines that you did in “Star Wars”?
A. I remember a lot of the lines and some of them are on screen in the concert. Particularly from the first movie, those seem to really impinge on my mind a lot.
Q. Do you have a favorite line?
A. Curiously, it is “We’re doomed.” That is pretty much Threepio’s philosophy.
Q. Having been a part of “Star Wars” for so long, what do you think the legacy of those films is?
A. The story of the pursuit of good against the urge to join the dark side. That is Luke’s dilemma. The legacy is as much a mythic story as any of the ancient myths. But I think the real story is to say that George Lucas took his little bits of script paper around to every studio and said, “Please, will you give me some money to make my little sci-fi movie?” And people told him to go away until one studio said, “Oh, OK.” That is the story. He kept believing this would work in spite of all the naysayers.
The story for me is that I refused to meet him for the job interview. My agent made me go using the words, “You never know what it could lead to.” So I went, and here we are talking on the phone 33 years later. So, never turn down an opportunity. Never give up.
Contact the writer:
444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com
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