Hollywood Feuds – Part Two: Anthony Daniels Vs. Kenny Baker

Introduction

As long as there has been Hollywood, there have been Hollywood feuds. Instances when those behind, in front of the camera, or both, simply could not agree to disagree. A town of tinsel and egos. It is no surprise that not every personality gels. It is a place of work and industry. Have you liked every single colleague you have ever worked with? Often the drama behind the scenes can enhance what appears onscreen and sometimes even overshadow it. But, there’s no such thing as ‘Bad Press.’

We as an audience love a good Hollywood Feud. It equates to our natural habit of ‘gossiping’ about our work colleagues. Whispering about our schoolmates behind their backs. We as a species and as an audience thrive on schadenfreude. That is the pleasure that is derived from another person’s misfortune.
Over a series of deep dives and retrospectives, Cinema Scholars continues to take a jump into the ring and reveal the root causes of some of the sublime to ridiculous Hollywood Feuds. Who was involved? How did it start? Did it affect the end product? Did it ever end? This time, we go back to 1976 and the beginning of a feud that lasted 40 years.
Star Wars
C3PO (Anthony Daniels) sips through a stew on the set of “Star Wars” (1977) as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) looks on. Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd/20th-Century Fox.

‘Did you hear that?’

Those were the first words that were spoken by Anthony Daniel’s protocol droid, C-3PO to Kenny Baker’s astromech droid, RD-D2 in what was the beginning of George Lucas’ cinema-changing Star Wars Saga. Lucas took a cue from Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, where two bumbling, bickering peasants must protect a princess from her enemies. Thus letting the story be viewed through their eyes. We follow ‘Artoo’ and ‘Threepio’ on their journey in an escape pod to a desert planet where they meet a young farm boy, a wizard, a pirate, etc.

It is no coincidence that C-3PO and R2-D2 are fan favorites. They are the first characters we meet. And they are our guides through this galaxy far, far away. They are funny and sweet. Observant, adaptable, easy, and fun to impersonate. And they always do their best to help: R2 D2 immediately and C-3PO sometimes, eventually. Most importantly, they are a double-act, one of the most loved and recognized in cinema.

Moments across the saga when they are separated: they seem a little lost or look incomplete without each other to bounce off and rely upon, and enquire about the other when apart. It is only in the finale of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones that they become a recognizable duo, serving as witnesses to Anakin and Padme’s secret wedding, and the audience does not realize how much they have missed seeing them together. They also appear on a ton of merchandise as the producers do not have to pay for image rights!

Star Wars
C3PO (Kenny Baker) on the set of “Star Wars” (1977). Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd/20th-Century Fox.

Anthony Daniels 

Daniels, before donning the iconic golden suit, was a law student. However, he left that path to take up acting, including mime. He soon found himself at the National Theater in London, just in time to attract the attention of George Lucas.

Like many before him, and since, Daniels was not a fan of the script. He was, however, attracted by Ralph McQuarrie’s legendary concept art and was thrilled to be given the role and eventually vocal duties. Daniel’s performance would famously lead to Lucas re-evaluating the character completely.

Throughout their negative history, Daniels had maintained a dignified silence about the more frequent remarks that had been made against him. It wasn’t until his autobiography press tour, for I Am C-3PO, in 2022 that he finally addressed Baker’s slurs in an interview with The Express:

“Kenny decided that he wanted to say unkind, unpleasant, rude, hurtful things. It got worse and worse. And rather like Mr Trump, if you say it often enough, people believe you.”

Daniels has always maintained he was the only person who could perform as C-3PO, voice included, and, for years, has been very protective of the character. Hence him being the only actor to play his character in every Star Wars iteration, in each trilogy, and all Disney-era properties. Most recently he voiced the character in an episode of Ahsoka, video games, and theme park rides.

Star Wars
R2D2 and C3PO in a promotional still for “Star Wars” (1977). Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd/20th-Century Fox.

Working With a Bucket

Daniel’s view of working with Kenny Baker was stated as “it was like working with a bucket.” He felt that the actor brought nothing special to the role and did not offer a similar performance to his high standards. Daniels would later state:

“We didn’t really appear or interact together. He was in a box he couldn’t do anything with. I had to work, frankly, very hard to believe that this object was my best friend…I think everyone just took it for granted and didn’t realize what I had created”

Another bone of contention over the decades, Daniels believes, was Baker’s desire to capitalize on the fans’ adoration for their perceived partnership. There was also the matter of the pair appearing together on the lucrative festival and convention circuit. Daniels recalls Baker grew frustrated with Daniels’ reluctance to do conventions together.

However, Daniels would become a regular host, MC, and guest at conventions including the first Star Wars Celebration. It was clear that Daniels would prefer attending conventions…solo, so to speak. We can therefore deduce it was not the conventions that Daniels had issues with.

Hollywood Feuds
Alec Guinness, Mark Hamill, and Kenny Baker in a scene from “Star Wars” (1977). Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd/20th-Century Fox.

Kenny Baker

Baker, before Star Wars, only had one prior film credit as a dwarf in Circus of Horrors (1960). He had previously worked in vaudeville, a circus, and cabaret. Along with the Star Wars franchise, he would also appear in The Elephant Man (1980). Flash Gordon (1980).Time Bandits (1981). Amadeus (1984).Labyrinth (1986) and Willow (1988).

At three foot eight inches, George Lucas thought Baker was perfect for R2-D2, as he was small enough to fit inside the construct and also strong enough to move it. Albeit he was limited to turning R2’s head and rocking him side to side. A remote-controlled version of R2 was used when he was on the move. Baker seemed to be the first to take issue with the different personalities:

“Anthony doesn’t mix at all – he keeps to himself. He never wants to have a drink with any of us”

Baker would then report that Daniels’s animosity and condescension towards him escalated as the years passed, through no fault of his own, calling him ‘Little Man’ and recalls:

“Once when I said hello to him, he just turned his back on me and said, ‘Can’t you see I’m having a conversation?’ I was blazing with rage. It was the rudest thing anyone had ever done to me. I was furious. It was unbelievable.”

He would also claim that the conventions were looked down on by Daniels, with Baker believing Daniels thought he was above meeting and greeting fans. Like Daniels, Baker was involved in the majority of live-action Star Wars projects and was a regular at conventions until his passing in 2016, with his name still appearing on each of the prequel posters. Though we can assume Baker is not present in the shots where R2 uses his rocket packs!
Hollywood Feuds
Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) gives R2D2 an important message to deliver in a scene from “Star Wars” (1977). Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd/20th-Century Fox.

Conclusion

It would seem animosity grew slowly over time due to different performing styles and the disparate requirement of ‘inhabiting each character. Two men from very different backgrounds, theatrical and personal, stood side-by-side for years but rarely met, let alone worked together. As Daniels stated with absolute honesty:

“We have no relationship…we have nothing in common”

Therefore how can we expect them, instead of believing or hoping that they would bond? We can argue that what they had in common was they brought joy to millions over decades, so they could at least have ‘put on a show’ as The Guys Behind Your Favorite Droids, as opposed to what we now know.

We can only conclude that it is a great shame that the two performers could not meet in the middle for the fans. It is even a greater shame that Baker is no longer with us, and Daniels’s response was rather lukewarm:

“Sad to hear of Kenny’s passing. One of the truly original cast, so famed for his iconic role as R2. He’ll always be remembered by so many fans.”

This came after Daniels’ remarks that Baker’s name was only on the prequel credits “as a talisman.” Time will continue to be kind to R2 and 3PO. They are truly wonderful cinematic creations that invoke warm nostalgia and childlike glee from fans, old and new. Everyone wants a selfie with these two at Disneyland! Hopefully, time will soften the blow to fans that the men behind the mechanics were not the double act we hoped for.
What is your favorite Hollywood Feud – let us know on our social media channels and we will do a deep dive for you!

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