Meet the New R2D2: Star Wars Taps Jimmy Vee to Play the Droid Next
By Buckie Wells
After the tragic passing of Kenny Baker last August, Star Wars found the next actor to bring the mechanical droid to life in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Kenny Baker appeared as the iconic blue and gray astromech droid in every Star Wars film from 1977 until his death in August 2016. Like many of the other droids and aliens found in the films, Lucasfilm employed a number of actors to don heavy make-up and costumes to portray specific roles. Instead of digitally creating something with computer graphics, since the time of George Lucas, the studio always preferred to complete the effects more practically. Which is nice for us because it makes everything look more authentic.
But since Star Wars is such an old franchise, the harsh reality is that we are not immortal. The actors we’ve come to know and love pass, leaving Lucasfilm to decide how they’re going to honor a cherished role without relying heavily on digital effects. So, that leaves them with finding a new actor.
In the case of R2D2, it’s been announced that Jimmy Vee will take up the mantle next.
Known primarily for his work on Doctor Who, Jimmy Vee seems like the right person for the job due to his extensive knowledge of costume and make-up. Not only has he appeared in several episodes of Doctor Who, but his IMDB also puts him in a couple of Harry Potter films.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, R2D2 didn’t have a very large part until the end when he presented the rest of the map to the resistance. But he also accompanied Rey to Ahch-To, where Luke remains in solitude. Which means, we can expect him (and Jimmy Vee) to have a large role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
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Considering we’re never going to actually see Vee, it feels nice to know that Lucasfilm wants to stay faithful to how the role originated. Upon announcement, Vee also added that Baker “taught [him] all the ‘tricks’ on how he brought R2-D2 to life,” which is a nice sentiment.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters on Dec. 15.