It’s one of the most famous anecdotes in all of Star Wars, how Peter Cushing wore a pair of slippers on set to ease the discomfort of wearing the tough boots his character Grand Moff Tarkin was supposed to use, and those slippers are due to go to auction on 1st October with viewings starting 25th September. There are items from across Cushing’s life, but of course the interest will very much be on those icnonic slippers and the paperwork he kept regarding his role in A New Hope.
One of the more intriguing and highly valued lots is a pair of slippers Cushing wore on the set of Star Wars, in which he played evil Death Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin.
The high leather boots the actor wore in the film pinched his size 12 feet, so he asked director George Lucas if he could wear slippers instead and be filmed from the thighs up, which the moviemaker happily agreed to.
For a joke, the film crew made a tiny pair for a 12-inch model of Cushing’s character. Now both his slippers and the model are coming up for auction, with an estimate of £15,000 to 20,000.
Our second episode of Making Tracks from 2018 features a fascinating story regarding Peter Cushing, which you can listen to below.
