It’s long overdue, but Nick Frost has finally found the role that has brought him to the galaxy far, far away, voicing the hulking, damaged and cantankerous pirate droid SM-33 in next months new Star Wars series Skeleton Crew. Having been a fan of the saga since the summer of ’78, Frost discusses the role and the surprise at learning the empty eye socket of SM-33 is the home of a space rat.
When it came to getting invited into a Star Wars story, Frost was fully committed from the moment he got the phone call offering him the role of SM-33. But nothing could have prepared him for seeing the character for the first time. A peg-legged droid with a rat-like creature living in one eye socket, SM-33 boasts a unique new droid design with a backstory we can’t wait to uncover. “It’s a dream. Once they show you, ‘Hey, this is what SM-33 looks like,’ and he’s a mashed-up robot and he has a rat in his eye? I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so in!’”
As SM-33, or Thirty-Three to his friends, Frost teases that his character’s personality will grow beyond his programming in the series. “He is a charming metal rogue with a heart,” Frost says. “At the same time, he’s kind of bad to the bone.” If droids had bones, that is.
We were fortunate enough to chat with Nick to talk all things Skeleton Crew, a chat you’ll be able to hear on Monday 2nd December on a very special Skeleton Crew focused episode of Making Tracks.
