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C-3PO Was Supposed to Sound Like a Used Car Dealer From The Bronx

By Eddie Small | December 16, 2015 5:09pm
 C-3PO, seen here with his good pal R2-D2, was originally supposed to speak like a used car dealer from The Bronx.
C-3PO, seen here with his good pal R2-D2, was originally supposed to speak like a used car dealer from The Bronx.
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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Famed "Star Wars" droid C-3PO almost ended up sounding like a guy from The Bronx trying to sell you used cars.

In a lengthy New York Magazine story about Anthony Daniels, the actor behind the character, says that director George Lucas originally did not picture C-3PO as having his now posh British accent.

Rather, Lucas envisioned him as a used car dealer from The Bronx.

"He’d never thought of him being a British butler," Daniels told the magazine. "But he had the generosity of spirit to change his mind. Had it not been for that, I wouldn’t have been in 'Episode V.'”

Ed García Conde, who discussed the possibility of C-3PO as a New Yorker on his blog Welcome2TheBronx, said he was flattered that Lucas thought of the borough when making "Star Wars" but was very happy with the way the droid's voice ended up sounding.

"As much as I love 'Star Wars,' and as much as I love The Bronx, I’m kind of glad it didn’t go that route," he said, "because it would have been a little awkward, considering that there really are no—other than an English accent—there really are no other accents in the 'Star Wars' franchise."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens on Friday. Several used car dealerships in The Bronx are already open.