Anthony Daniels teases C-3PO’s journey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and talks red eyes

Star Wars
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Anthony Daniels remains the only actor to have appeared in every Star Wars movie, even the spin-offs. However, Daniels' famous droid, C-3PO, was not exactly a core part of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, something he freely admits.

“In Episode 7, [director] J.J. [Abrams] had so many things to recreate that C-3PO’s main thing was a red arm – which we didn’t like. And we told him on a daily basis, we didn’t like it,” he tells our sister publication Total Film, the actor presumably referring to himself and C-3PO in a Gollum/ Smeagol fashion. “Then in The Last Jedi, C-3PO, again, was rather like a bit of decoration at the side somewhere. So I was kind of ready to be an extra again." 

That's all about to change with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While Daniels does not go into specifics, he clarifies: "For C-3PO as a character that I love – if he were to go to the movies and watch himself in this last movie, I think he’d be very pleased. I’ll leave it at that.”

Pushed on what C-3PO's new red eyes, as seen in the D23 trailer, mean for the character, Daniels remains coy, but reveals the shock of putting on the newly tinted helmet. “It was a shock when I put the [helmet] on, because it wasn’t like C-3PO,” he says. “That’s what I found quite scary, how much the colour change made him look totally different. It was totally uncanny, and slightly uncomfortable.”

You can read the full article, which features an in-depth look at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – including more quotes from Daniels, as well as J.J. Abrams, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac – in the latest issue of Total Film magazine, which reaches shelves on November 15. 

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Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.