{"id":17107,"date":"2011-09-06T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2011-09-06T07:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/?p=17107"},"modified":"2011-09-06T18:31:40","modified_gmt":"2011-09-06T17:31:40","slug":"star-wars-interview-garrick-hagon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/interviews\/star-wars-interview-garrick-hagon\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars interview: Garrick Hagon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TM & \u00a9 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Already a veteran actor by the time he appeared in A New Hope<\/em>, Garrick Hagon was dismayed to discover two of his three key scenes had been removed by the time the film made the cinema, as his character of Biggs Darklighter was deregulated from being Luke Skywalker’s childhood friend to merely another orange jumpsuit to buy the moisture farm at the Battle of Yavin. Steadily though, Biggs has made it back into canon – his reunion scene in the hangar of Yavin 4 was restored in the 1997 special edition, albeit with some dialogue altered, his back story explored in comics and books, and even his family are a key part of the Expanded Universe. Now all that remains is to see whether the Tosche Station has made it back for the Blu-ray…<\/p>\n

Why do you think the Tosche Station scene has become such a big thing for fans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I think it’s just because it isn’t there! There are quite a number of deleted scenes but this is quite a long bit and I think they just want it to be there \u2013 I don’t why, because a lot of them have read the original book and they’ve seen pictures and so on, and of course now they’ve seen scene itself [as of the 1998\u00a0Behind The Magic CD-Rom<\/em>], and there are some cuts \u2013 there’s one in Germany, where fans have put the scene or some of the scene back in. Gary Kurtz did a talk \u2013 I think it was Guardian lecture, he told me this a couple of weeks ago \u2013 he gave a Guardian lecture and he was asked this question \u2013 ‘Why wasn’t the scene put back in?’ or ‘Why was it cut originally?’ – and he gave quite a lengthy exposition about the narrative, how they wanted to follow C-3PO and R2-D2 into the film, and not get involved with a whole other storyline that really wasn’t leading to the central action with Han Solo and Leia and so on. Right at the beginning, after I’d seen the film for the first time and realised that my scene was out, or our scene was out, I think Gary was the first person I bumped into outside, in the foyer of the cinema [laughs], it wasn’t necessarily a happy meeting but we’ve become friends since. As to why people are interested in it, I think it’s because it’s a character they haven’t been able to explore, except in the books and the back stories, you know. In a way it was kind of a nice relationship that Mark and I had, that the characters had, and Mark and I as a team had in that scene, so there’s a fondness for it.”<\/p>\n

Does it surprise you how invested people are in this character and exploring his universe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It always does, it always surprises me, and it’s very gratifying. It’s nice to know. I’ve had fans write small books about ‘me’ and ‘my’ family, and there is of course stories about ‘my’ father and Gavin and the other members of the Darklighter family, but it’s always nice to feel that the character lives on in a way. And certainly in terms of the merchandise, it’s been helpful that the various models have come out and maintained an interest, there’s even a little baby one that came out a couple of years ago, a little LEGO, and all sorts of stuff, because I happen to have a moustache I’m recognisable. I have been asked if it was part of the character and did I get rid of that after I did the film; it wasn’t just for the film, I had it on for a number other jobs. But yes, it’s the only moustache in the series… at least for a while anyway.”<\/p>\n

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SciFiNow issue 58 is out now!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How did you did you first get involved in Star Wars<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Just along with all the other actors in England who were up for it, there were a group of American actors in the film who lived and worked over here \u2013 quite a number. Most of us would have gone up through the casting director, Irene Lamb, and because I happened to be slightly known, and had a good agent, I went along to see George like all the rest of them. It was a nice meeting and we talked mainly about the film I’d done in Morocco [filming Mustapha Akkad’s Muhammad biopic Al-ris\u00e2lah<\/em>\/The Message<\/em>] because Morocco at that time was heavily used in film, and I’d been there for six months doing a film largely in the desert. Course, George was thinking of Tunisia for his locations, so we talked about that, and when it came to costume it was slightly Arabic so far as I had a cape, a nice black cape in that scene. And of course the costume was put together very well, it’s eclectic, it’s got a Russian shirt and a bit of bomber jacket, and leather pants from god knows where from the Angels wardrobe. As to why I got it, I had a good interview and I had a good track record in terms of my earlier work over here, and George apparently marked us all on a score of one to ten, and I had a high enough mark to get Biggs. It was a fairly straight forward actor process \u2013 you go to an audition, I didn’t have to read, and you talked to the director \u2013 luckily you see the director, nowadays you’re just put on tape. I had a very personable meeting and that’s it, I suddenly found myself in Tunisia, going down in a plane with Koo Stark [Camie in the Tosche Station scene] and Anthony Forrest [Fixer in the Tosche Station scene], and from then on in we were just on an adventure. Mark [Hamill, Luke Skywalker] met me door when my car arrived\u00a0 at a resort hotel, Mark came out and I had a reunion with him, he said, ‘We’ve got this scene together and it’s going to be fun’, and all that stuff. And then we proceeded to have fun \u2013 maybe too much fun, it seems to me, because we had some quite heavy nights and we went riding up and down the beach on horseback, which we should not have been doing at all. When you’re on a film, you don’t go off and ride crazy Arab horses up and down the beach, but we did [laughs] and Mark was with us, so god forbid he should have ever fallen off. It was good \u2013 what crazy, crazy fun we had.”<\/p>\n

Was there a strange atmosphere when the film was starting and people didn’t necessarily know where it was heading?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We were just on a gig, we were on a gig in the desert. It was very hot and it was like any other film \u2013 I’ve been on a number of films on location, except with this one we didn’t know much about how it would turn out. I had no idea. Also, although I had the whole script of course, I wasn’t that familiar with science fiction and certainly with all the strange creatures they talk about in the script, it all seemed quite weird to me. I’d done a Doctor Who<\/em> [as Ky in 1972’s ‘The Mutants’], but that wasn’t quite anything like this. It was all very exciting, we were young \u2013 well, quite young, Koo was the youngest and then I think Anthony was a bit older \u2013 we were having an adventure. When we got to the scene itself it was quite difficult to learn \u2013 I wasn’t too sure, I think I walked up and down the beach a lot trying to learn it because it wasn’t that easy, some of the dialogue was [laughs] fairly classical dialogue \u2013 it had quite an interesting turn of phrase and not always the easiest. I guess I learned it, maybe I didn’t learn it fast enough, I could’ve done it quicker \u2013 I’m not sure. Just working on the scene with Mark was a happy memory, it was a hot, friendly time.”<\/p>\n

You must have been struggling in Tunisia with a jacket and a cape on!<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It was all part of the job, and you were working very early in the morning. And don’t forget I’d been working on a film in heavy Arab costume, and the Arabs wear more clothes in the heat, so the cape was fine \u2013 especially because it was a black one. I’d been wearing Arab clothes in the desert for the whole twelve months, right in the middle of the desert in Libya [on The Message<\/em>] so I was kind of used to it by then.”<\/p>\n

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TM & \u00a9 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Was George good at giving you feedback on the role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I don’t think we had much, his direction was not elaborate at that time and when I first met Mark he warned me that the phrase was, as we all know, ‘faster, with more intensity’ and George might have applied that to me \u2013 I can’t remember. He was also shooting from a long way away, he was down on a long distance lens so I was getting a lot of the instruction \u2013 whatever I did get \u2013 from the assistant director. I remember we did the scene quite a number of times for a lot of different reasons, and it was quite a long take \u2013 I remember that too.”<\/p>\n

What was the first thing you were told about the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I can only say the first message I got about the role itself was from Mark, at the wardrobe fitting with met each other for the first time and he said, ‘You’re my best buddy’ and that was the keynote. It was fairly evident what the scene was about, me trying to persuade him to come up and join the Rebel force and the fact he was just marking time on his uncle’s farm, then also the relationship was fairly clear \u2013 that I was an older buddy, and kind of a model for him, and example of somebody who’d gone out and done it and become a pilot. I think he’s always somebody who’s bigger in myth, the hero’s best friend who died. Nobody actually talked about Joseph Campbell and the deeper meaning of Star Wars<\/em> [laughs]. Maybe it was one of the things that had an echo of American Graffiti<\/em>, the Tosche Station scenes might have been too close to the idea of the gang hanging out, and George probably didn’t want to repeat himself \u2013 I just don’t know, George hasn’t talked to me about it, Mark has and Mark would’ve wanted that scene to be in, I’m pretty certain. I’d like to believe he’d have liked the scene in, but of course he can speak for himself. It became something that we always discussed in later years, you know, and I think Mark always said ‘It’d would’ve been nice to have it in’.”<\/p>\n

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SciFiNow issue 58 is out now!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reunion scene before you all go off to attack the Death Star made it back in for the special edition, did you know that was going to be put back in?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“No, I didn’t know, generally very few messages are passed down the line \u2013 I went to the screening in London, and I think it got a nice reception among the audience from the ones who knew. But I didn’t know, and neither did I know when it was cut the first time, I think Anthony Daniels told a friend of mine, and my friend told me, so I was slightly prepared but not officially, that’s often the way of it – you don’t realise until you’re sitting there watching it.”<\/p>\n

The character seems central, not necessarily to the plot, but to establishing Luke’s character in relation to Biggs…<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I think it was, I think it was, but it did show Luke as younger and weaker than perhaps they wanted the character to be. But that’s a good starting point for Luke because from there he develops into our hero. I think the relationship kind of was important, certainly in the very early scripts before they began to shoot \u2013 they were kids together, although I was a little older, you know. I think Biggs was younger than Luke in one of the early scripts I read, but the relationship was there, and certainly for Mark and myself it was fun to do the reunion scene because I’d been away for a while, I’d been doing another film. I’d be doing A Bridge Too Far<\/em>, so to come back on set and see Mark again was quite a warm meeting, so that reunion scene was a nice one to do.”<\/p>\n

Mark looked very young, but he’d already been in TV for a decade…<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Yeah, yeah, he was a real pro and his attitude was extremely professional, extremely quick worker and also good with the company, you know. For such a young actor, to make everybody feel a part of the team… he did very well. To work with somebody as eminent as Alec Guinness and treat him the way you’d treat a major star like that, and also to be as close as he was, and to be as friendly as he was, with all of us, he did good to be at that central point in the company. It’s always nice when the lead character is able to cope with it, and make everybody feel a part of the team. He was pretty young to be doing that.”<\/p>\n

Was the atmosphere different in between the Tunisia scenes and the Yavin scenes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Yeah, by that point everybody knew what was going on, in a way. We knew our position and we knew each other a bit better, and of course it was exciting because we were surrounded, not by green screen or CGI stuff, it was the models, and the set\u00a0 was very exciting just to be on. You run around and it was cardboard and bits of wood, but on the other hand, quite exciting to be in the hanger. And indeed the Tosche scene itself, the set that was created at Elstree Studios for the inside of Anchorhead Station, that was pretty big stuff \u2013 it was a junky kind of gas station and it felt like it.”<\/p>\n

There was a very strong cast, even down to the smaller roles like the Rebel pilots…<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Oh yeah, yeah there were. Everyone was really good and willing to be there and quite a lot of my fellow pilots had quite a bit of experience, even at that point \u2013 there was Denis Lawson of course, and William Hootkins – they were all up and coming, and most of them stayed in the business and did well.”<\/p>\n

Do you remember when you first became aware of how big Star Wars<\/em> was?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I remember getting a letter from a friend who’d be on the film I’d done immediately before, who was in Hollywood, and I remember he said, ‘This is gonna be massive \u2013 you better get over here’. Well, I was in London doing a play and I wasn’t going to be nipping off to Hollywood, but yeah, that was the first kinda feeling I got. And then the reaction that was coming back from the opening in Hollywood… and again, I was doing a Bond film [1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me<\/em>], and I was playing squash and I remember the chap beside me saying, ‘I just got a call from Anthony Daniels about how big it’s going to be, and how big a success it’d been on the opening’, so the word filtered back that way. And then we saw it, the London actors saw it in a special cast and crew showing, and then we realised, you know, as soon as that ship started coming over our heads [laughs] we were just on our back like everybody else was, and then we realised\u00a0 just what we were in. It was a long time before I started meeting the fans, and got on the circuit, and ever since it’s just been phenomenal and this Blu-ray is all a part of it \u2013 reimagining the film, regenerating it, and I’m glad they do, it’s one of the great successes.”<\/p>\n

Do you wish they’d have explored Biggs more in the Expanded Universe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“No, because I wouldn’t have been a part of it \u2013 I’d be too old! I think it’s better to be remembered for a small part, in the background \u2013 it’ll intrigue you forever because that’s all you know. I’ve been in so many exciting films \u2013 like Batman<\/em> and The Spy Who Loved Me<\/em> \u2013 but none that have had the repercussions and the afterlife of Star Wars<\/em>, and I’ve been very blessed to have been a part of the afterlife. If that gives me more visibility that’s fine with me, I think Biggs deserves it [laughs].”<\/p>\n

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Star Wars Complete Saga Blu-ray box set is available September 12 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, priced \u00a367.49, and SciFiNow’s collector’s edition Star Wars issue<\/a> is available now from all good newsagents and online from the Imagineshop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One on one with Biggs Darklighter, the fanboy’s favourite<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":17108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"MSN_Categories":"Uncategorized","MSN_Publish_Option":false,"MSN_Is_Local_News":false,"MSN_Is_AIAC_Included":"Empty","MSN_Location":"[]","MSN_Add_Feature_Img_On_Top_Of_Post":false,"MSN_Has_Custom_Author":false,"MSN_Custom_Author":"","MSN_Has_Custom_Canonical_Url":false,"MSN_Custom_Canonical_Url":""},"categories":[7,140],"tags":[2122,103,2148,372,2149,2150],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/BiggsDarklighterANH.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17107"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scifinow.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}