Captain Antilles Speaks
SW Homing Beacon #164 features actor Rohan Nichol - better known to SW fans as Captain Raymus Antilles in RotS. I thought a few of us that don't get the Homing Beacon might be interested in the feature. Here it is, in its entirety:
CAPTAIN ANTILLES SPEAKS! When actor Rohan Nichol first stepped foot on the Episode III set in Sydney, Australia, he was thrilled to be playing Captain Antilles -- he just wasn't sure which one. "Because I'm such a huge Star Wars fan, I already knew Alderaan is a peaceful place and that it was destroyed in A New Hope," Nichol says. "My research basically consisted of reading a few things about Alderaan, and about Princess Leia and that sort of thing. But the rest of it is actually within me, because I'm of the generation that grew up with those films. So when I got the role of Captain Antilles I initially thought, 'Oh man, I'm going to be an X-wing fighter pilot! And he's the man; he survives. He's great!'"
It wasn't until he arrived on the Sydney set that he understood he'd be playing Captain Raymus Antilles, owner of R2-D2 and C-3PO. "I honestly thought I was playing a younger version of Wedge. Either way, it's been an honor!"
Though the role wasn't a major part in Revenge of the Sith, Nichols was excited to share the screen with actors Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO). "The first scene that I was in, basically I'm reporting to Bail Organa, and just letting him know that we've located a Jedi homing beacon," Nichol says. "And it wasn't without a bit of a scrap up -- I'm sort of cut up a little bit. When I say it, my character is kind of stunned that the clones seem to be directionless; they don't have a leader. And so Senator Organa tells me that we'd better intercept the Jedi before the clones regroup. In the second scene basically Organa entrusts R2-D2 and C-3PO to my care, and tells me to treat them well, and that he wants C-3PO's mind erased."
One of Nichol's favorite memories of his role was turning an accidental shaving incident into a detail that built character. "I came on to the set and I had a bit of a nick on my chin from shaving," Nichol recalls. "The nick was being very troublesome and it wouldn't stop bleeding, so it had formed an annoying mark. So when I met George Lucas on the set, I apologized for the nick and he said jokingly that I must have gotten it in the Clone Wars! I said, 'That's right, I did!' And that moment made me realize how relaxed Lucas was as a director. For a guy who's got a lot on his shoulders, he's always prepared. I suppose that comes with having a system of people around you who you've done stuff with for ages. Everyone knows their job; everyone knows what the score is. It really was a pleasantly surprising experience."