Why we love Star Wars

Famous faces give us their favourite moments from a galaxy far, far away…

(Images: Rex Features)

Tom Meighan, Kasabian

“My favourite moment is from Revenge Of The Sith. It’s when Palpatine says “Kill him” to Anakin, and Anakin lops off Count Dooku’s head. Dooku’s on his knees, begging, and then off his head comes. That’s the power of a Sith Lord [laughs]. Saying that, I think Return Of The Jedi is the greatest of them all. I was pleased when Jabba was strangled by Leia. The fat f*cker.”

Seann William Scott

“The moments from Star Wars that have stuck with me most are its darkest. My mom took me to see Return Of The Jedi when it was in theatres. The standout scene is at the end when Vader is dying and he takes off his mask. Having this evil character that you’ve known as a freaking monster for three films — a robot with no soul — and suddenly there’s a human face to him is haunting. It was a reverential moment in cinema.”

Eddie Redmayne

“The two robots, C-3PO and R2-D2, are what I always loved most about Star Wars. I think what appealed to me was the fact that they were obviously the comic relief, and they popped up occasionally like a man and his nagging wife. In fact, they are a lot like an old married couple. It’s a nice, old-fashioned touch in something so futuristic, similar to the relief you would get in an Elizabethan dumb show.”

Tom Hiddleston

“I love it in A New Hope when the Stormtroopers are running in to arrest C-3PO and R2-D2 on the Death Star. There’s a phalanx of about eight of them coming in formation, and the guy second from the front — because he can’t see that the door hasn’t finished opening — smashes his head on the bottom of it. It’s absolutely hilarious. I heard that for one of the new versions the makers have even dubbed in a sound effect for it.”

Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)

“My most memorable scene is at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke, Leia and I watch Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca fly off in the Millennium Falcon to rescue Han. It’s a semi-tragic end to the film, but one that gets you buoyed for the next instalment. What we were actually looking at was a man holding a mop in the air and walking away with it. When the special effects were added, it looked spectacular.”

Gerard Butler

“I’m a fan of the original Star Wars, but my favourite moment is from a movie called Thumb Wars, which is a pis*take of Star Wars, made with thumbs. It’s fantastic. There’s a bit when Princess Leia appears as a hologram to Obi-Wan and Luke. She says she needs their help and, after, they get underneath the hologram and look up her skirt. That’s my favourite moment. But when I think of Star Wars, I just think of Harrison Ford.”

Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok)

“My favourite memory of filming Return Of The Jedi was the first time I walked onset, aged 11, and met people like Harrison Ford. All of a sudden, Han Solo’s in front of me in those trademark trousers. Not long before, I’d been playing with plastic figures of their characters. Being able to walk around the full-size Millennium Falcon, too — I’ll never forget that. I was the luckiest kid alive.”