CLEVELAND, Ohio — Just like the previous seven episodes in the “Star Wars” saga, there will be an actor inside R2-D2 in “The Last Jedi.”
Jimmy Vee, 57, takes over the controls of everybody’s favorite Astromech droid for Kenny Baker, who died last year at 81. Vee, who appeared as a goblin in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and played various monsters and aliens on BBC’s “Doctor Who” series, shared the role with Baker in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” but was uncredited.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have worked alongside the legendary Kenny Baker,” Vee said in a statement from his talent agency Oh So Small.
“Kenny was a fantastic actor and taught me all the tricks on how he brought R2-D2 to life which I will continue to portray in his honor. I’m so excited to be a part of the Star Wars universe and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working so hard on for the last year.”
The 3’8 actor is the same height as Baker, who originated the role of R2-D2 in 1977 and played the character in all seven of the “Star Wars” episodic films prior to his death. The droid was last seen on the planet Ahch-To, waiting for Rey to make contact with its old master Luke Skywalker.
A stationary and silent R2-D2 appeared very briefly in last year’s spinoff film, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
The casting choice of having an actor inside R2-D2 is an interesting one considering droids in the newer films such as BB-8 and K-2SO have been accomplished by either CGI, puppets, robotics or a combination of those methods.
R2’s sidekick C-3PO also continues to played by a human in costume, Anthony Daniels.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” lands in theaters on December 15.
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