Is ‘Star Wars’ Actor Anthony Daniels Fed Up With Playing C-3PO?
Being typecast in a popular franchise is still a blessing and a curse. Anthony Daniels is one of the most prominent examples of this to a point where Star Wars became a synonymous love/hate relationship. Playing C3P0 for the last 43 years did at least up his status as an icon, even if the early part of his career pinned him only in that one role.
Now that Daniels is presumably going to retire from the character after The Rise of Skywalker, he’s giving some interviews pointing to how arduous the work has been to make the role memorable every time.
Was it just too stressful to ever play C3P0 again? For those who’ve seen TRoS, it doesn’t necessarily give any kind of finality to the droid thanks to one plot point.
Working inside a gold droid suit is not an easy task
As Daniels pointed out in a recent Associated Press interview, the amount of work he’s put in as C3P0 has been more than the usual acting performance. Considering it really is Daniels inside the suit, imagine still having to do such a thing at his current age of 73.
Even when he was doing this at age 30 during the filming of A New Hope in 1976/77, he notes it was more than a little grueling. Those famous desert scenes, especially, were a little uncomfortable filming in intense heat. Regardless, he said the reaction from people watching him play the character in the desert then was more than worth it.
Following the success of the first film, Daniels thought it was the only time he’d play the famous droid. Being caught up in an iconic trilogy can start to wreak havoc on being associated with anything else.
Daniels points out how rough those earlier days were in finding any other work other than in a Star Wars movie.
Making a living as an actor based only on filming a movie every two years can often feel like a nightmare.
Many expected C-3PO to die
It was a bit of an emotional moment in The Rise of Skywalker when C3P0 had to have 43 years of memories wiped from his system so he could properly translate a particular Sith language from a dagger. The good news is he managed to have all of his valuable memories mostly restored thanks to R2D2 by the end.
Perhaps it’s arguable J.J. Abrams didn’t have the heart to kill off C3P0 since the death of Leia was already tough to take for many longtime fans. While it’s not known what becomes of C3P0 and R2-D2, they’re seen in the celebration at end, much like the ending of The Return of the Jedi in 1983.
Audiences are now to assume the two droids will go on living peacefully without being embroiled in epic chaos as they had for four decades.
Maybe not everyone was a fan of C3P0’s witty quips during the most intense action scenes. For fans, at least it’s known he’s alive for any future Star Wars movies or shows. Outside of Daniels saying he probably won’t play the role again, it’s worth noting he thought the same after the first trilogy ended until the calls came for the prequels…then the new trilogy.
If there’s any chance he’ll play C3P0 again, it might be for one of the Star Wars shows on Disney+.
Would he suit up again for ‘The Mandalorian’ or the Obi-Wan series?
Just because The Rise of Skywalker wraps up the Skywalker saga doesn’t mean there won’t still be strong references to it in the Disney+ shows coming up. In the Obi-Wan Kenobi series alone, it’s more than possible C3P0 and R2D2 might be seen. Also, The Mandalorian is bringing back a lot of original trilogy characters next season.
Anthony Daniels may be saying goodbye in the media to throw fans off the trail. Not that isn’t likely true he’ll never again play C3P0 in a movie. Doing cameos in a Disney+ series, however, is no doubt easier to suit up when pushing 75.
By then, Daniels may just voice the famous golden droid rather than sweat directly in the suit.
