Talking Bay 94: Star Wars Interviews

Today I'm talking to Kevin Thompson , who portrayed Ewoks in Return of the Jedi and the Ewok movies , as well as his wife Tracey Thompson , who wrote the new book "My Journey to Endor", chronicling Kevin's career and stories. They were such a blast to talk to, as we delved into the incredible work on the set of Jedi , as well as Blade Runner and so much more. They will be at Star Wars Celebration...

Today's interview is with Derek Arnold , an incredible creature performer and puppeteer, who helped bring to life so many wonderful aliens in the recent Star Wars films. From Pao to the Thala Siren to the  Luggabeast , the list goes on and on. As mentioned, here is me and Derek's first ever interview from 2018 (right before the podcast launched!): https://www.superkaiju.com/interview-derek-arnold-...

Mike Chen is an incredible author whose newest novel, Star Wars: Brotherhood is one of my favorite new canon books in recent memory. We dive into his career, his process, and his work on this incredibly important piece of the saga! Thank you so much again to Mr. Chen for taking the time and being so open with his thoughts and stories, as well as his dissertation on Anakin Skywalker. Thank you as w...

Danny Wagner is a model maker, makeup artist and more for the prequel trilogy . From the Star Wars Special Editions to working on the podracers to working on George Lucas' cameo in Revenge of the Sith , Mr. Wagner's stories are truly mind-blowing. We will have a live panel at Star Wars Celebration, at 11AM on Friday 5/27! We'll see you there, with a special guest and special giveaways. Please RSVP...

Brian Muir is an incredibly talented sculptor, who worked for decades in the film industry, and especially on the original Star Wars , on Darth Vader , S tormtroopers , Death Star droids and so much more. But that is not all: learn about his involvement in Raiders of the Lost Ark , Temple of Doom , James Bond , and many many more projects, in this fascinating conversation. For information, photos,...

Today, I'm talking to Toby Longworth , an incredible actor and comedian, who voiced Lott Dodd and Gragra in The Phantom Menace . Mr. Longworth's stories and charm are absolutely incredible , and this interview is one of my favorites ever. I hope you enjoy it. For more information about his work, as well as to download the audio books we discussed, head to: www.tobylongworth.com That's all for this...

Martin Rezard has worked on many Star Wars movies, from Attack of the Clones , Revenge of the Sith to all of the new Disney films, as a Creature Concept Sculptor . His work is incredible and instantly iconic, from Raddus to Beezer Fortuna to Emperor Palpatine , and I can't wait for you to hear his stories. Mr. Rezard is such a talent and was so gracious with his time. To see his beautiful work for...

Today I'm talking to Lucy Autrey Wilson , who was the first permanent employee of Lucasfilm , and who then rose through ranks to eventually become the Director of Publishing . Every author I have interviewed has such incredible things to say about Mrs. Wilson, and it was a real joy to get to talk to her, ranging from Shadows of the Empire to The New Jedi Order . To explore more of her current proj...

Frank Ordaz was a matte painter for Return of the Jedi , as well as for movies like Temple of Doom, E.T. Star Treks II-IV and many more. An incredibly talented painter, Mr. Ordaz is such a fascinating conversationalist and brings to life a lot of the behind the scenes stories from the making of Return of the Jedi and beyond. I really had such a blast getting to delve deeper into his stories and th...

Today I'm talking to John Whitman, the writer responsible for the famed Galaxy of Fear book series, and so many more pieces of Star Wars history. From radio dramas to Krav Maga, as well as some long-rumored projects, Mr. Whitman has some incredible stories and incredible talent, behind one of the most formative books series for me growing up. Listen … if you dare. For more information about the Kr...

Sandy Dhuyvetter is an artist, musician and communicator, who is affectionately known as "Momma Fett" … Mrs. Dhuyvetter was tasked with the painting of the original Boba Fett costumes, and added so many of the details we've come to know from the bounty hunter, including wookiee braids, and more. Mrs. Dhuyvetter is such a delight, and is a wonderful storyteller. You all are going to really love thi...

Steve Yedlin is an absolutely incredible cinematographer, who has worked on films like Brick ,  The Brothers Bloom , Looper, Knives Out and, of course, Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi . From early days at USC and working on student films with Rian, to creating masterpieces of picture ... we cover so much of Mr. Yedlin's incredible career, including a tiny bit about the upcoming  Knives Out 2. H...

Today I'm talking to the legendary and wonderful  William C. Dietz , who for  Star Wars  fans, wrote the  Dark Forces  trilogy of books. Beautifully illustrated and wonderfully told, these stories have truly stood the test of  Star Wars  time. From stealing the Death Star plans to the exploits of Kyle Katarn, Mr. Dietz has incredible tales and insights into creating these books and beyond. Find al...

Julius LeFlore is an incredibly proficient stuntman and stunt coordinator, who will be best known to  Star Wars  fans for his wide-reaching working on  Return of the Jedi. Bringing to life Weequay , Biker Scouts , Stormtroopers , as well as stunt double for Billy Dee Williams / Lando Calrissian , Mr. LeFlore has incredible stories from Yuma and the forests of Endor. Thank you so much to Zach and K...

Today on the show is my conversation with the absolutely incredible Claudia Gray , who is a fantastic author. She is responsible for so many Star Wars books, as well as so many others:  Lost Stars , Bloodline , Leia: Princess of Alderaan . She also was one of the architects of  The High Republic (aka "Project Luminous"), with  Into the Dark being her first book in the series. From her experiences...

Today I'm joined by the wonderful  Scott Squires , who might be known to  Star Wars  fans as one of the three groundbreaking Visual Effects Supervisors for The Phantom Menace . His career is inspiring and really incredible, ranging from working with Douglas Trumbull on Close Encounters of the Third Kind (where he developed the Cloud Tank Effect) and receiving Academy Award nominations for The Mask...

Howard Kazanjian needs no introduction for listeners of this show. He was the producer of Return of the Jedi  and executive producer on Raiders of the Lost Ark (as well as uncredited producer on The Empire Strikes Back .) He is a legend in both the world of Star Wars and the world of movie-making, in general. It is a true honor to get to talk with him about his career, from USC and Alfred Hitchcoc...

Blair Bess is an immensely talented voice actor, best known to  Star Wars  fans as the voice of  Even Piell  in  The Clone Wars , specifically the incredible Citadel arc. During our conversation, Blair dives into his VO start, and his experiences with Dave FIloni, as he brought this Jedi to life. Head to his website for more of his work and where he's popping up next! https://blairbess.com/  Speci...

Ian Whyte didn't mean to become an actor: he started as a professional basketball player, before a call to play the Predator changed his life. From there, he starred in fantastic films, including as the Engineer in  Prometheus , numerous roles in Game of Thrones (including Wun Wun the Giant), and in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . Of course, his roles in Star Wars are equally fantastic, incl...

Meredith Salenger is an absoultely incredible actress, who has brought to life some legendary characters, including voicing Barriss Offee and many more in Star Wars: The Clone Wars . In addition to her fascinating and inspiring career, stick around to hear her story about playing the role of George Lucas' daughter (" Che Amanwe Papanoida "), as well! While you're at it, check out her and her husba...

Hey everyone, it's Brandon. It was announced yesterday that Gerald Home , who portrayed Tessek ("Squid Head") and a Mon Calamari Officer in Return of the Jedi, passed away. I am very lucky to have gotten to know Gerald ... interviewed him three times, gone to dinner with him, emailed back and forth for years, and played Cards Against Humanity late into the night. He was a good man and an incredibl...

Hey everyone, it's Brandon. It was announced yesterday that the incredible Jonathan Rinzler (J.W. Rinzler) had passed away late last month. It is no secret that him and his books were a direct inspiration for this show … and he was actually one of the first people I ever reached out to, asking to appear on it. He was incredibly gracious with his time and came onto a podcast that did not even have...

Pierre Bohanna 's earliest work on Star Wars began actually as a prop maker for The Phantom Menace . From there, he has worked on every Harry Potter movie, returning to the saga as Supervising Costume Effects Modeler for all of the recent Disney Star Wars movies. Fascinating and incredibly talented, Pierre has some wonderful tales about things like rebuilding C-3PO , redesigning stormtroopers , an...

Katy Kartwheel is incredible : a multi-talented circus performer and actress, she portrayed many characters in the recent Star Wars movies, including Rio Durant in Solo: A Star Wars Story . She was such a delight to talk to, full of a deep love for her craft and incredible stories from her time on set, working as a creature and droid performer for The Force Awakens , The Last Jedi and Solo . Check...

Nick Maley , aka "That Yoda Guy", was a creature and special effects make-up artist for the original Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back . We discuss his first interactions with the great Stuart Freeborn , as well as his myriad of experiences working on the cantina aliens , building multiple Yodas used for filming, and working on creatures like the mynock (and some secret lost characters as well...