[read previous entries first]


Back to the smaller R Stage today again, and it's back in the blue too. First up is the scene 'Anakin walks towards camera - Anakin with Clone Troopers heads for the Temple'. A relatively simple shot with a menacing looking Hayden complete with contact lenses and hood.

This scene continues in various angles and variations and at one point George (that's Mr Lucas to you) moves my mark (blue gaffer tape on the floor) to a different angle then grins playfully at me as he walks off, like a cheeky little Ewok.

The fun doesn't stop there though. Later, Hayden sneaks up behind me where I stand with my hood up, and he stands there too with his hood up so we are in line - but I can't see him. My first knowledge of it is when I hear George say playfully, "There's two of 'em!", as I turn round to the laughs of other crew members!

I'm really getting to know and like George - he has a very fun side and everything he says sounds like he's just kidding around. It makes for an extremely relaxed set, and people keep commenting how nice a job this is to work on. It's all downhill from here when this ends for us all tomorrow then as it's the final day of shooting ever on a Star Wars movie... (Or is it?)

Hayden does the running scene along the blue carpet, but as he runs a bit of the carpet seam gets blown upwards by the wind machine, and Hayden trips on it.

Faking a 'stagger then fall' action gets a laugh from all of us, and they hastily staple down the carpet for the 2nd take to avoid more comedy moments like that. Phew!

Moving on to 'Sidious puts on Robe with hood - Dialogue' and whilst standing in I find myself staring into the eyes of the Emperor himself, Darth Sidious, who appears before me. You never quite get used to how that looks! The contact lenses he has, have to be put in just before each scene by the lady from 'Reel Eyes', and they give him a truly frightening look. When he then starts warming up for his lines, and doing the deep Emperor's growls, you literally get chills. How such a timid thespian can be so evil is testament to his acting skills. Nonetheless I still nearly wet myself.

After lunch I get to experience a bit of action as 'Agen Kolar, Kit Fisto and Saesee Tinn get cut down' - oh no! I am borrowed from 'Hayden duty' to stand in for Agen Kolar as Hayden has wrapped for the day (lucky him), and Nick Gillard the Stunt Co-ordinator comes along so we can rehearse the stunts for the camera. I have done some stunt work in the past (such as being gunned down on a train for the Jeremy Irons movie 'The Fourth Angel' - but there were no lightsabres in that!). This scene involves the Palpatine stunt double, complete with grey wig, stabbing me with Palpatine's lightsabre... literally. Ow. He missed missing me and hit me in the waist instead, but apologised so I don't slash him back.

The stunt double has to have little red squares of tape stuck to his forehead, cheeks and nose! This is so ILM can track his face by computer when superimposing Ian McDiarmid's face on top. He looks silly, but it's a means to an ends. He does his thing and slashes us down, and we drop to the crash mats. After a few tries and with everything perfected, it's time for the extras playing these characters to do it again for the cameras. It's filmed with them going slow-mo, so I assume it will be sped up later. At least I hope so.

We then film the preceding shot of those 3 arriving on a Gunship, which is basically a 10-foot tall platform of narrow blue carpeted wood. I say narrow because I nearly fall off it twice. Ow. (Ow.) They put crash mats down around us in case, but when Colin (the 1st Assistant Director) says to me, "Back a bit... a bit more...", I have to say, "Back? Are you sure? There is no 'more'!". I think he's trying to bump me off I dread to think how the extras felt up there, with their vision obscured by the masks they wear. In fact it is almost as if they are brought in as our stunt doubles

Then as I go to sit down, who should appear but Kenny Baker himself!

The man inside R2D2, who was recently voted the most loved robot of all time, comes and chats to me alone, for no apparent reason, and it's immediately obvious he's feeling a little lost. I am sitting in my chair between takes, and of course I instantly recognise him when he comes over. He tells me how he's just come from filming in Kingston (10 minutes away from Shepperton Studios) and actually did get lost trying to find our studios.

He goes on to chat with me about his son, his being in the films, and I mention that I was with him in the scene at the end of Episode I 'back in the good old days' where my character Bravo 6 - Lt. Gavyn Sykes and the other remaining members of Bravo Squadron are standing on the Naboo Royal Palace steps with him during the Celebration Parade. I remember then when he 'had his top off' and wasn't wobbling back and forth to George's often inaudible instructions inside his R2 body shell, that he would point out things such as a cigarette end on the palace steps and say it should be removed as, "the fans will spot that you know!". (I heard there was a Coke can in the wedding scene at the end of Ep2 but did anyone see the cigarette in Ep1?! Doubtful unless you're watching on Blu-Ray )

Explaining that I am now Hayden's stand-in, he doesn't seem to know who Hayden is or recognise him. He then goes on and remarks that the digital versions of R2 "don't look realistic" and shakes his head in disapproval. I suppose he may have a point. I daren't argue - he might zap me with that little metal arm that comes out of his bodywork.

He asks who various people are, which I imagined he should have known, such as Hayden, Ian McDiarmid, etc. It seems he is truly outside the 'inner circle' of Star Wars and he actually talks to me as though I am above him somehow on the Star Wars ladder. My height excepted, this is a remarkable thing, although I don't milk it and am sure I am as friendly as possible to this Star Wars legend. Still, it is rather hard to take on-board considering how long I have loved the films and his work.

Kenny then questions me as to whether Anthony Daniels (C3PO) has been in, and I tell him he's only done 2 days. "Is there a rivalry between you guys?", I enquire. "No, no, not really", he says, then goes on to tell me how Anthony is an unusual man, and he only came 4th in the 'best robot' poll. No rivalry there then! He also says the Producer "can be a bit funny" with him sometimes, so it seems - according to him at least - that some of the 'new' Star Wars inner circle might not acknowledge just what he means to fans.

Pablo Hildago, the starwars.com Hyperspace correspondent on-set, comes up after noticing the opportunity and says, "Kenny, do you mind if I take your photo with Christian?". He doesn't mind (and neither do I!) and after the shot I say to Kenny, "There, you're famous now", jokingly. Pablo laughs and walks off, hopefully to put the image online

Then Kenny surprises me and tells me Episode III is the only film he hasn't been in, of the 6. He says, "I'm not sure if I should ask George whether he's going to use me in this one...?". Seeing his need for encouragement from me, I reply, "Go on, no harm in asking, sewing a seed", and he agrees. George is suddenly alone so Kenny walks over to him and says, "So are you using me in this one?". I hope George doesn't blame me! George replies, "Um... yeah... I think I'll send you to ILM to film something in their studios". Kenny comes back quite chuffed, and I hope that I have actually helped the man who played R2-D2 to get in the final film. He certainly seems pleased, and all too soon says it's time to head off. I arrange him a golf buggy lift to B Stage to see Rick McCallum, and off he goes but not before shaking my hand affectionately. (It's not a metal arm really.) He seems like a really sweet guy, and I can't understand if people really are a bit funny towards him.

Final shots take place with Ewan McGregor where 'Obi and Yoda fight with Clones' (the 'Fake Jedi'). Ewan does the rehearsal of slashing them down with his sabre, and finishes with a theatrical, "Ta-daaaah!".

The voice of Yoda is provided by Eddie, the 3rd A.D., in one of the worst Yoda impersonations I have ever heard. I'm tempted to ask him if I should take over, but think better of it. It might throw the actors if it is too good

Ewan has chopped down the Jedi however one Fake Jedi remains standing, so Lucas shouts, "Oh-oh, one's left... kill him too... kill them all!". Nick Gillard (Stunt Co-ordinator) had planned for Yoda to kill this one, but George is the boss so after some delay, down he is chopped to laughter. Mr Lucas is so just having fun with his toys! I am honoured to have been allowed to play in his Tatooine sandpit.


Well the entries will continue, but in the meantime I am excited to invite you to join my new Facebook page! There you can start a chat with fellow fans, and joining will also let you know about upcoming conventions and events that may be near you.

For now I can also tell you that I am delighted to be appearing at the following conventions in the upcoming weeks and months, and it would be fantastic to meet with you in person and share my experiences further:

18-20 July 2008
Lazy Dragon Con, Dallas, USA
http://www.lazydragon.com/con

24-27 July 2008
San Diego Comic Con, San Diego, USA
http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_autographs.php


[Thank you for reading my insight into the making of a Star Wars movie. Your comments mean a lot to me, so please let me know what you thought. I will try my best to also answer any questions (I like a challenge!).]