You may not know Anthony Daniels' face, but he's one of the most important actors to be involved with the Star Wars franchise, having been a part of every film released so far. He's C-3PO, and this weekend he was at Fan Expo 2017, giving fans new insight into his life and work. Among those insights: a defense of Jar Jar Binks and a sweet memory of the late Carrie Fisher.
The Jar Jar defense came in response to a fan who vigorously asserted the character's existence and place within Star Wars canon, to which Daniels responded, "Jar Jar was created by George Lucas and he employed an actor, Ahmed Best, who is a terrific actor. Terrific mover. Terrific, inventive brain. Highly intelligent. Did exactly what George asked him to do. George’s son Jett was thrilled by that performance that Ahmed did perfectly, but Jett was 10 years old."
Daniels said that to him, Jar Jar was like the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi. He had simply grown past the age when such creatures would appeal to him. He said that children who grew up in the age of the prequels have much kinder attitudes toward Jar Jar, and Daniels admired Best for his performance - even if he personally wasn't into it.
As for Fisher, Daniels started with a reminder about her addiction to Coca-Cola, telling the audience that they'd be surprised at how many scenes have a can hidden behind the scenery (Fisher told Ellen DeGeneres she'd open as many as 16 cans per day, though she didn't finish them all). And when Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in theaters, hopefully we'll all have an experience like Daniels did.
"The magic of the movies is you will see her as you’ve never seen before. The other day when I was putting my voice back on [The Last Jedi], I had completely forgotten what we had shot," he said. "Suddenly in the footage that I’m watching, there she is, living forever. That’s movies for you."
