The controversy is going to be that people expect some horrible, horrific thing to happen to [Anakin] that caused him to [become Darth Vader]. It’s much subtler. It’s something that everybody faces–when you’re looking at yourself, you can see your good and your bad, and say, "Is this a selfish choice or is this a compassionate choice? And once I get something, what would I do to keep from losing it? Would I make a pact with the devil to keep it?
But how did he get to be Darth Vader? You have to explore him in relationships, and you have to see where he started. He was a sweet kid, helpful, just like most people imagine themselves to be. Most people said, “This guy must have been a horrible little brat – a demon child.” But the point is, he wasn’t born that way – he became that way and thought he was doing the right thing. He eventually realizes he’s going down the dark path, but he thinks it’s justifiable. The idea is to see how a democracy becomes a dictatorship, and how a good person goes bad – and still, in the end, thinks he’s doing the right thing.
He’s the hero of the whole thing. He’s the one that always comes through and saves everybody. I’d like to have a pal like that that would come and save me once in a while
I grew up in the era, ‘Don’t trust anybody over 30.’ And, you know, I still feel that. Don’t trust me.
Kenny Baker was a real gentleman as well as an incredible trooper who always worked hard under difficult circumstances.
A talented vaudevillian who could always make everybody laugh, Kenny was truly the heard and soul of R2-D2 and will be missed by his fans and everyone who knew him.
-What would you say [to people who hated the prequels]?
-I’d say, “More power to you!” I mean, the films are liked by half the people, they’re hated by half the people. You know, it’s the same thing with the critics. I mean, all the Star Wars films have been trashed and all the Star Wars films have been praised. So, it’s very hard to say, “Well I’m going to take this group and say, you know, they don’t like it therefore I am going to change it.” I mean, I am making the movie that I think is appropriate to what I am doing. It’s not market research. I am not like a studio. I do what I want to do. I don’t check it with an audience. I say this is the story. This is the story I’m going to tell for very personal reasons and I’m going to go ahead and do that.
