No actor has appeared in the Star Wars franchise with anything even approaching the same sort of regularity as Anthony Daniels, who has lent his talents to almost every conceivable adventure set in a galaxy far, far away. So far, pretty much the only thing he hasn’t shown up in yet is The Mandalorian, but C-3PO was still spotted as part of a mural in the season 2 premiere.
Daniels is the only one to have appeared in all eleven theatrically released Star Wars movies, with a very brief cameo in Solo marking the only time he wasn’t playing Threepio, while he also voiced the beloved droid in Disney’s animated sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet. You name anything even tangentially associated with the franchise and there’s a distinct possibility that the 74 year-old has been in it, ranging from the Star Wars Holiday Special to The LEGO Movie via Sesame Street, The Muppets and Robot Chicken.
In a recent interview, Daniels was asked if he ever plans on quietly retiring from the role that’s defined his entire career, and you won’t be surprised in the slightest by his answer.
“No, I’m never going to retire. They’re going to have to throw me out the door. Life is not over, the films, may be taking a back seat for Threepio, for a very very long time, I would think. But there’s all sorts of other media, particularly now with digital formats, that I’m so happy, and grateful and proud to be part of.”
The Skywalker Saga may have appeared to put an end to C-3PO’s tenure as a fixture of Star Wars on the big screen, but the legacy characters still have a role to play whether it be through cameo appearances in future projects, video games, animated shows, documentaries or talking head pieces. Daniels knows full well that he scored the gig of a lifetime over four decades ago, and he’d be foolish to give it up when it continues to be so lucrative to this day.
Published: Nov 17, 2020 08:26 am