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The Lightsabre
Interview David Ankrum
Welcome to Lightsabre.
Today we bring you a chat with the man who was the voice behind Rogue
Squadron’s most popular member, Wedge Q - David, welcome to Lightsabre. A – Glad to be invited into your realm! Q – You’ve appeared in many shows and films, including
The Waltons, Tabitha and The
Big Five and yet you are likely best known as the voice of Wedge A –I feel quite blessed. I receive quite a bit of fan
mail from all around the world. I really appreciate the letters and the kind
words from all the fans. I love the opportunity to meet fans at conventions. Who
knew that that one afternoon of work 30 years ago (in a sound booth far far away) would translate into such joy. Q – Tell us something of your career. Where did you begin in publishing and what
led you to? A - The series of events that led to me getting the role
of the voice of Wedge Antilles went like this. 1961…While I was playing “let’s
make a sci-fi film” with Dennis Muren in
his backyard, my father (actor Morris Ankrum , Col Fielding in the original
“Invaders From Mars”) was directing the Play “Comeback Little Sheba” starring
my mother (stage name Joan Wheeler) and William Challee. My mother and William
Challee had an affair…Oops! My parents
divorced and in 1964 we moved to Hollywood where my mother and William Challee
had started an art gallery together. In 1972 Fred Roos cast Challee as Jack
Nicholson’s Father in “Five Easy Pieces”.
I met Fred. He came to see me in a play I was doing and cast me in my
first film. I had a small scene opposite Victor Mature in a film “Every Little
Crook And Nanny”. Cut to: 1976. I was in an improv comedy
group called “3 And A Half” with Betty Thomas, David Arkin and Herve Villachaise (from Fantasy
Island). We were performing at a place called the Hollywood Canteen on Melrose
Ave. I got a call from Fred Roos to read for the role of C3PO. I asked him what’s
a C-3PO? He told me it was a robot,
something called a droid. It’s a character in a little sci-fi film that George
Lucas is directing. He taped my audition. I didn’t land that role… but in 1977
I was hired to Voice the character of Wedge. Who knew what had really begun
back there at the Chinese Theater in May of ’77. 1977 was a good year for me. I also landed the
role of Adam Stephens in “Tabitha” that year. Q – What is it like to be a part of the Star Wars
phenomenon? A- Galactic pleasure….
Q – You were childhood friends with Dennis Muren,
making films in your garage together. It
must have felt strange to find yourselves working on a sci-fi film years later,
especially one that turned out to be so ground breaking? A – That was
a special time back in 1960-61. Dennis would use my younger brother Cary and myself as actors to help test out his special effects ideas on
8mm film. There’s an early film that Dennis directed,”Equinox” that is out on
DVD. In the special features section Dennis is interviewed and he talks of his
early experiments with effects and shows some old footage from those days
working in the backyard. You can see my giant tennis shoe step down and crush a
miniature version of my screaming brother like an ant. I hadn’t been in touch
with Dennis Muren since I moved to Hollywood and when I saw his name on the
Star Wars credits it was a thrill! We’ve kept in touch. He was an amazing
effects artist back in ’61 and it’s great to see where he has taken his genius. Q – You pushed John Boy Walton off a bridge in the Waltons. Given this
was something millions would have liked to have done, how good did this make you feel! A –It was
exhilarating. And to think I got paid for doing it. I would have done it for
free. Q – What were your feelings on the original Star Wars
when it was completed? Was it everything
you expected it to be or more? A – Way
more! I was completely mesmerized from the first sound to the last credit. I
saw it at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in May of
’77. I was so into the film that I
forgot that it was my voice coming out of Wedge’s mouth. “Red 2 standing by”… Q – You attend conventions all around the world. Do you enjoy the interaction with the fans? A – I totally enjoy the fans! All ages...all
backgrounds…one common thread! I’m new to conventions. I started a year ago so
I have some catching up to do. I haven’t been out of the States yet. I hope to
be able to attend Celebration Europe. Spread the word. I’d love to meet the
fans in Europe. Q – Which of the myriad Star Wars characters do you
feel the most affinity for? A – I would
say Hans Solo. My life’s journey has always been full of unexpected surprises. Serendipity. Hairy Sidekicks. Q – Tell us
something of your other interests outside of Star Wars? A –I’m a dreamer. I always have been. I have drawers full
of ideas. Product ideas. Story ideas…I’m working on a
prototype for a Landscaping product…also a t-shirt line. I have a script I’ve
written with my wife… A horror/adventure that takes place in the Northern
California Wine Country. “Vintage Evil”…I’d love to get some financing together
and produce it. If you know of any backers send them my way.
Q – You were
directed in the film Cracking Up by the legendary
Jerry Lewis. That must have been an
amazing experience. A – Yes. A very funny man. And a meticulous director. He knows comedy. Especially physical comedy. It was a real thrill to be
directed by him. He liked the way I fell after being shot. He told me I had
comedy knees. I didn’t know that. My knees are funny. Q – Given
Wedge’s continued appearances in the later films, how come you didn’t continue
to voice him? Did Denis Lawson finally
manage to master the accent Lucas required? A - I believe that was the case. If you find out…let me
know. Q - What lies ahead for you in the future? A – My daughter, Challee,
(named after William Challee) is getting married next
month. I don’t know where the time went.
I took one look at her engagement ring and said, “Look At The
Size Of That Thing”. The future
is full of hope. Celebration IV A New Hope… Q – A quick question about
our site, Lightsabre. Any
comments? A – Awesome
website. I’ll be a frequent visitor. Q - It's been a great interview, and thanks for being
our guest on Lightsabre. Just one final question.
Yourself, Frank Oz and Andy Secombe are chosen
to contest a A – I would love that! Something like Iron Chef. With Voices instead of Quiches. It would be hard to compete
with Yoda and Watto but I guess this is where I would introduce a new voice…The
Voice Of Wedgie. It’s from a
new series Christian Simpson and I came up with at Dragon Con in Atlanta. “The
Adventures Of Wedgie”.
In a Nutshell….When the first Death Star explodes,
Wedge Antilles is thrown so hard by the blast that he gives himself a wedgie on his flightsuit webbing,
and is blown through a wormhole into a parallel universe. He speaks with a high
pitched voice due to the pressure of the wedgie. The
thing about certain parallel universes may be - as you know - that in some
of them, chances are everything is the exact opposite
of the one Wedge comes from. As chance
would have it, that is what poor ol' Wedgie finds through
each adventure, Wedgie is
basically trying to find his way back home to his Universe. That would be the voice performance I would
give. And if you want to have the world-wide premiere in Europe! We could
introduce it with an abbreviated stage version. Stay tuned… |
