In this exclusive excerpt, learn more about the actor’s surreal transition from fan to cast member.
A longtime fan of the Star Wars saga, Carey Jones had enjoyed a successful career as a filmmaker and actor before being cast as the fearsome Wookiee Krrsantan. It was Jones who brought the character to life when the bounty hunter made his surprise transition from comic book icon to live-action force of nature in Chapter 2 of The Book of Boba Fett, “The Tribes of Tatooine.”
In an exclusive excerpt from Star Wars Insider #212, Jones discusses landing the role and upholding the Wookiee legacy that began with Peter Mayhew about 45 years ago.
Star Wars Insider: Portraying a character in the Star Wars galaxy is a unique accomplishment, especially for a fan. How did the role come your way?
Carey Jones: I had worked with Robert Rodriguez on Predators (2010). He’s friends with Greg Nicotero (the legendary special makeup effects artist), who happened to mention me in the course of a conversation, and Robert remembered that experience. He gave me a call and that’s really how it started. When someone asks you if you want to be in Star Wars, you say, “Yes!” You don’t really ask a ton of questions after that (laughs).
Star Wars Insider: What went through your mind when you learned that you’d be playing Krrsantan in The Book of Boba Fett?
Carey Jones: The funny thing about it is that although I knew that I’d been cast as a Wookiee, I didn’t know that it was Krrsantan, or that we’d be making The Book of Boba Fett. For a while, I’d assumed it was for another Star Wars show altogether, because Disney and Lucasfilm like to keep things so close to the vest, and they kept the scripts so secret. I didn’t know it was actually a Boba Fett show until I was on set, but that was okay because I was going to be in a Star Wars production!…
Watto’s Character Development – From Concept to CG
Described as a cranky curmudgeon, a shyster, and a crooked salesman by his creators in the Lucasfilm Art Department and at ILM, Watto may not be the noblest character Episode I has to offer, but he certainly has a strong personality. Watto is a pudgy blue alien with a wide girth, elephantine snout, and hummingbird-like wings. His love of money is rivaled only by that of gambling. His short leathery wings propel him about his Mos Espa junk shop as he yells orders in Huttese to his slaves.
“George knew exactly what he wanted for this character,” said Design Director Doug Chiang. However, says Doug, the strange combination of physical traits that George requested threw them off for a time. They went through a few rounds of concept designs before getting Watto just right. The designers were used to George talking more in terms of concepts than specifics and he often gave the art department a lot of freedom in creating initial designs. So, thinking in these terms, Doug and artists Terryl Whitlatch and Iain McCaig came up with a several variations on the Watto theme. Terryl’s interpretation of Watto was of a very pudgy parrot with full wings and an impressive waistline. Iain’s rendition was a hefty four-armed beast puffing a cigar.
When these concepts did not earn George’s stamp of approval, Doug decided to give him quite literally what he asked for. “I took a head from a previous creature design that George liked, put it on this funky body and gave it hummingbird wings and George came in and said, that’s it!” Watto’s costume came easily says Doug, who dressed him in a vest and toolbelt loaded with gadgets. George approved the design and requested only that Watto be given webbed feet and a pair of pants. “Watto was this conglomeration of odd things that really didn’t fit, but that in the end gave him a very unique and powerful personality,” says Doug.
When Watto moved from concept art to ILM’s CG modelers, a whole set of new issues arose. It was their job to realize Watto as a fully CG character. Modeling Supervisor Geoff Campell said that at first he was a bit skeptical. “It just didn’t seem logical that this old chubby alien was going to be propelled by wings.” But viewing Watto by our principles of physics just wasn’t going to work. So, they thought in terms of Watto’s alien environment and imagined him filled with a kind of gas. His wings became a means to propel him versus supporting his weight.
Watto was modeled by Modeler Steve Aplin, who spent about four weeks creating a library of his movements and facial expressions. “We had Steve use a variety of sources to create speech patterns for the bilingual alien,” said Geoff. Steve had video footage of Watto’s voice actor speaking, photos of ILM animator Rob Coleman doing his impersonation of Watto, and he also used a mirror to examine how his own face moved while speaking Watto’s lines.
The biggest problem, though, were Watto’s large tusks which gave him personality but prevented the alien from completely closing his mouth. For speaking the letters ‘B’ and ‘M’, for example, the modelers couldn’t achieve proper lip movement and they played with the idea of reducing or doing away with Watto’s teeth altogether.
A few other bits and pieces of Watto had already been lost in the modeling process because of complications, like a hat that would have kept Watto’s face in perpetual shadow, and a nose ring which created skin stretching problems.
But, Doug refused to back down on Watto’s teeth. “I felt very strongly that we needed those teeth because they really added to his personality. His other attributes that were lost weren’t critical to his character.” The end result was to actually add more than they took away. “As a compromise, I suggested that we break one tooth which would allow him to close one side of his mouth to give him an asymmetrical way of talking,” says Doug. In the end, Watto was given a war wound and a speech impediment which added to his mean-old-curmudgeon persona.
Spoiler warning: This article contains major spoilers from Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The epic Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi gave Star Wars fans a close-up look at the dark times, when the Empire was at its height. The story took the weary Jedi Master on a perilous adventure across the stars to save a young princess. Along the way Obi-Wan regained his connection to the Force, let go of the weight of the past, and found a new hope for the future of the galaxy.Here are 25 quotes from the series that illustrate his emotional journey. Some of these lines are stunning in their significance. Some will make you smile. And all are pivotal to Obi-Wan’s story.
1. “The Jedi cannot help what they are. Their compassion leaves a trail.” — Grand Inquisitor
A former Jedi himself, the Grand Inquisitor knows firsthand that members of the Order are caring to a fault. If someone needs their help, a Jedi will give it without hesitation — even if it means exposing their existence to those hunting them. (Part I)
2. “I’ve got a tribe to feed.” — Teeka
Trader Teeka is a shrewd entrepreneur, who’s still charming in her (not always honest) deal-making prowess. (Part I)
3. “Like you trained his father?” — Owen Lars
Owen Lars is not one to mince words. He’s not daunted by Jedi or the Force. He wishes simply to have his family left alone. His harsh truth silences the once quippy Jedi Master. (Part I)
4. “There are many ways to lead. You just have to find yours.” — Bail Organa
Bail and Breha Organa are patient parents who encourage little Leia to find her own path. But there are times the headstrong princess takes that guidance a little too literally… (Part I)
5. “I’m not who I used to be.” — Ben Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t just referring to changing his name to Ben. Struggling with remorse over the apparent death of his apprentice and dear friend, Ben is hiding not just from the Empire, but from the Force as well. (Part I)
6. “I’d rather be digested by a jakobeast.” — Leia Organa
Little Leia is aghast at the idea that she should apologize for putting her haughty cousin in his place. It’s an amusing reminder that no matter who she’s facing — a Grand Moff, a Dark Lord of the Sith, or a scruffy-looking nerfherder — Leia Organa will stand her ground. (Part I)
7. “Look, have I made a few bad decisions? Sure. Do I feel bad about it? Sometimes. Do I like credits? Yeah.” — Haja Estree
Haja is only concerned about Haja. Or is he? He may not be a true Jedi, but Haja displays their same kindness in his actions. He might seem like a con man on the surface, but beneath the fake Jedi robe Haja is hiding a heart of gold. (Part II)
8. “He’s alive, Obi-Wan. Anakin Skywalker is alive.” — Reva
The Third Sister strikes at Ben Kenobi with a statement more cutting than any lightsaber swing. The revelation that Anakin didn’t die on Mustafar shakes Ben to his core. (Part II)
9. “Have you ever been afraid of the dark? How does you feel when you turn on the light?” — Ben Kenobi
Ben Kenobi shows a hint of his old life as a teacher when he explains the Force to Princess Leia. Simple and elegant, this description of feeling the Force surround you is comforting — and unforgettable. (Part III)
10. “Quinlan was here?” — Ben Kenobi
Not only is this the first confirmation that fan-favorite character Quinlan Vos survived Order 66, but it’s also the first time in a long time that we hear a hopeful tone in Ben’s voice. The two Jedi never saw eye to eye, but Obi-Wan’s relief is unmistakable. (Part III)
11. “I am what you made me.” — Darth Vader
You can almost hear Obi-Wan Kenobi’s heart breaking as Darth Vader delivers this devastating statement. (Part III)…
Propmaster Brad Elliott shares insights on fabricating Kenobi’s lightsaber and other personal items that link the new series to the prequel trilogy and the film that started it all. Kristin Baver
Through the props and costumes of Star Wars, we find a tangible link to connect with the characters from a galaxy far, far away and the stories they inhabit. Inside the Lucasfilm Archive, take a closer look at these artifacts and the stories behind their design.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a man who cannot escape his past.In the Obi-Kenobi limited series, now streaming on Disney+, storytellers explore a previously unseen era in the character’s life — nearly 10 years after the fall of the Jedi with Order 66 but still almost a decade from meeting his fate aboard the Death Star. Behind-the-scenes, the production crew took great pains to find the middle ground between these two known story points when creating the props that would help define the titular character at the midpoint between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope.
Among Kenobi’s meager belongings when the series opens on Tatooine, we find familiar macrobinoculars, a holoprojector, and a datapad that look almost exactly like screen-used items from the prequel trilogy. “It made sense that Kenobi would take a few items with him to watch over Luke,” Propmaster Brad Elliott tells starwars.com. That includes his lightsaber and other tools of the Jedi that were glimpsed in those earlier films. “The holoprojector would have been something that he would take with him from his belongings on Coruscant.” In this case, the item allowed Bail Organa to reach his old friend with an urgent request and was later broken in the chaos.
Kenobi’s macrobinoculars, first glimpsed in the trailer for the series, were fabricated from a pair intended to appear in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Their placement among Obi-Wan’s personal effects is itself a deep cut for fans familiar with a deleted scene showing Kenobi using the same item in Episode II. The prop was original destined for use on Geonosis, but an animated version later showed up in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The datapad was an even more obscure recreation, seen only briefly in Revenge of the Sith in the hands of Anakin Skywalker. “He is holding a datapad and mentions that Obi-Wan was there, as if the datapad was the evidence that his master had been to see Padmé and had left it behind,” Elliott says. Visual guides further cemented the idea that the datapad belonged to Skywalker’s master, but “we were the first to actually put it in his hands,” Elliott notes.
An elegant weapon
Even a Jedi in hiding needs their trusty lightsaber.
Kenobi’s elegant and iconic weapon from a more civilized age proved to be the most difficult challenge for the prop builders on the series, Elliott says. Designers on the original trilogy and the prequels had utilized similar but not identical designs to create Obi-Wan’s hilt, meaning that the prop builders on Kenobi were tasked with merging the two iterations into something new that still felt authentic.
“His lightsaber was the trickiest thing that we had to figure out,” Elliott says. “The Revenge of the Sith saber is smaller, shinier, and differs in many other details from the New Hope saber that Alec Guinness carried.
“Kenobi is coming from the loss of the war, the fall of the Jedi Order, and the loss of his best friend and Padawan,” Elliott adds. “He’s carrying the weight of his past, so his saber is largely from that past.”
While the design aesthetic mainly mirrors the prequel hilt previously carried by series star Ewan McGregor, prop makers specifically upgraded the emitter to more closely match Guinness’s original and aged the once pristine handle to make it feel like an artifact that had spent nearly 10 years buried in the desert….
