Lucasfilm included a surprise cameo in its newest Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Unbeknownst to fans, director Jon Favreau enlisted franchise vet Anthony Daniels for a small voice-only cameo in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, playing an Air Traffic Control Droid.
Daniels’ unexpected involvement in the new Star Wars movie has quietly continued the epic sci-fi franchise’s longstanding tradition. Because of this, he retains the title of being the only actor in the franchise’s history who has participated in all of Lucasfilm’s theatrically released Star Wars movies.
What are Anthony Daniels’ roles in Star Wars movies?
Daniels is best known for portraying the beloved character of C-3PO, a humanoid gold robot who first appeared in George Lucas’ 1977 film. After A New Hope, the British actor played C-3PO in nine more live-action Star Wars films for nearly five decades, including 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, 1983’s Return of the Jedi, 1999’s The Phantom Menace, 2002’s Attack of the Clones, 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, 2015’s The Force Awakens, 2016’s Rogue One, 2017’s The Last Jedi, and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. In addition, Daniels also voiced the fan-favorite droid in Dave Filoni’s 2008 animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Besides C-3PO, Daniels also had other roles in the long-running film franchise. In A New Hope, he physically played another droid named CZ-3, who was a minor background character seen shuffling past Luke Skywalker on the streets of Mos Eisley.
In Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Daniels once again pulled a dual performance by playing a human character for the first time. He was briefly seen portraying Lieutenant Dannl Faytonni, who was a Coruscant con artist impersonating Republic officials.
Even though C-3PO wasn’t included in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Daniels had another hidden unmasked cameo in the 2018 spin-off movie, playing a human slave named Tak. The minor character was seen working in the spice mines of Kessel. Daniels’ latest participation in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie further solidifies his admirable commitment to the franchise.
