Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it

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Exclusive: Amandla Stenberg talks to GamesRadar+ about 'working' with The Acolyte's new droid Pip

Pip the droid in The Acolyte
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

The Acolyte continues Star Wars’ long tradition of cute droids bursting with personality. 

First, there was R2-D2, then the likes of BB-8 and D-O rolled onto the scene. Now, there’s Pip, the right-hand droid of mechanic Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who has a surprisingly wholesome real-world inspiration hidden behind its chipper demeanor.

"I love Pip so much," actor Amandla Stenberg tells GamesRadar+ on her time spent on set with the droid. "Working with droids or puppets on the show was one of the coolest things you can ever see because of the amount of artistry, technology, and craftsmanship that goes into creating these puppets and manoeuvring them as well."

Stenberg reveals that there was a "series of auditions" for the Pip puppeteer and their pick, Jack, won out "because it was just clear from the moment he walked in the room and put his hands on that controller that he knew exactly what Pip’s personality was".

"It was like this fearless, but innocent personality, which just felt so right for that kind of droid," Stenberg explains.

And the origin of that personality? According to Stenberg, Pip's puppeteer (try saying that 10 times really fast) took inspiration from something close to home.

"One day, I asked him, ‘Where did this personality come from?’ Because it feels so unique. And he said, ‘Oh, I've modeling his personality off of my newborn daughter.’" Stenberg recalls. "And that made a lot of sense to me."

For more, check out The Acolyte release schedule and our interview with creator Leslye Headland on why she chose The High Republic era as the setting for the Star Wars series. Then, there's all the latest news on upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.