Kiran Shah might not be a name that instantly comes to mind when you think of Star Wars but trust us when we say you won’t forget his name once you browse through his list of GFFA credits. He was an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, Teedo in The Force Awakens, Oolin Musters in Rogue One, Neepers Panpick in The Last Jedi, Karjj in Solo and Nambi Ghima in The Rise of Skywalker, along with a slew of appearances in such films as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, the Harry Potter series and The Hobbit. CNN caught up with Kiran to discuss his incredible career, which began way back in 1977.
After moving to the UK, Shah joined the Red Buddha Theatre Company at 17, learning traditional Japanese mask and mime work. It was during his stint at the troupe that he answered a casting call for a small actor to perform in an upcoming sci-fi movie.
The film was shrouded in mystery, and following an interview he was driven to Elstree Studios outside London to meet director George Lucas. “I went into this prototype R2-D2,” Shah remembered. “I was a tad tall, but I still managed to work it.”
He received a call offering him the part in “Star Wars,” only for Lucas’ first choice, Kenny Baker, who had left the production, to walk back on his decision. Casting director Irene Lamb delivered the news but sugared the pill by offering to set up Shah with an agent. Within a month he had an audition and was soon on his first film set being taken under the wing of Oscar winner David Niven.
Stunt coordinator Bob Anderson (a sword master known for playing Darth Vader in fight scenes in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”) encouraged Shah to perform stunts for the character he was standing in for.
“The stunt people took me in very quickly,” Shah said. With no formal qualifications he learned on the job: high falls, wire work, fencing and body burns. “A lot of little people didn’t want to do what I was doing,” he said, and believes never saying no to a stunt distinguished him in the industry. Only today, in his sixties, has he started to reassess that policy.
It’s a fascinating interview, stepping through a career in film that so far has grossed almost $19 billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
