Anthony Daniels' Last Day As Star Wars' C-3PO Was A Bit Ironic
Anthony Daniels has been stirringly loyal to the "Star Wars" media empire ever since its inception in 1977. Daniels played the prissy, cowardly droid C-3PO, an automaton built to aid in translation and matters of diplomacy. Curiously, he was programmed to flee from danger, and frequently comments on how his carbon-based compatriots are reckless and foolhardy. He may have a point, as C-3PO is dismembered and reassembled several times throughout "Star Wars" history.
Daniels has appeared inside the droid costume, or at least provided the voice for C-3PO in 14 feature films, not all of them "Star Wars" related. He played the part in "The LEGO Movie," for instance. He also voice the popular droid in "The Star Wars Holiday Special," appeared on both "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street," starred in the animated series "Droids," and acted in over a dozen "Star Wars" and "LEGO Star Wars" video games. He even voiced C-3PO on the "Star Tours" ride at Disneyland. He's narrated several audiobooks while in character. His most recent "Star Wars" credit was in the TV series "Ahsoka," which aired in 2023. Anthony Daniels, now 77, may be the single most prolific "Star Wars" actor in the franchise's history.
The last feature film wherein Daniels played C-3PO was the 2019 release "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," a film that provided him a climactic, personal moment for his long-beloved character. C-3PO, thanks to plot contrivances, was to have his memory erased. Just before, he spent a wistful moment looking at his old friends, knowing they would be wiped from his mind entirely. Daniels liked that moment. Sadly, it was not his final day on set. His last day on the clock, Daniels revealed on the "Star Wars" YouTube channel, was something of an anticlimax.
The trailer moment
The small, tragic moment — when C-3PO is wistful about his inevitable loss of memory — is referred to as "the trailer moment" by Daniels and his interviewer, as it was a scene cut into the film's preview. Daniels said that the trailer moment went very smoothly and that the film's editors, Maryann Brandon and Stefan Grube, allowed him to deliver his line cleanly without editing in between various takes (a common practice on giant blockbusters). He said:
"I'll tell you what. I'm not sad about 'The Rise of Skywalker' being the end of the whole thing. What was a little difficult was the last day on set for me. It wasn't the last day of the movie. But that was kind of a little hard to cope with. [...] What's great about the trailer thing is J.J. cut it — 'cause it's from two camera angles — exactly as I said it, as I timed it. He doesn't futz with the timing. 'Cause editors can do that.
Once the trailer moment was on lock, Daniels still had a few extra days to shoot, although he had nothing to do. He continued:
"My last day, curiously, I was with other actors on a set, and I didn't have a thing to say. C-3PO was there looking around. Didn't have any lines! My last day after all these years, nothing. Isn't that weird? That's really ironic."
Note that C-3PO delivered the very first line in the original "Star Wars." Sadly, he didn't get to be the last. After 42 years of playing the role, his last day on a film set was a "stand there and do nothing" day. Not very dramatic. Luckily, he got to play the part a few more times, and may yet again.