Anthony Daniels
© AFP/File Gerald JulienLONDON (AFP) - Daniels thought the original 1977 film "A New Hope" would turn out to be "pretty hokey" and was coerced into auditioning for the role.
However, the legions of fans Star Wars still commands have convinced Daniels that he and Guinness helped create hugely valid works of movie magic.
The soft-spoken British actor is certainly proud of his performance as Threepio, the prissy protocol droid who provides much of the comic relief throughout the hugely popular science-fiction saga.
At Star Wars Celebration Europe, a giant convention marking 30 years since it all began a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Daniels told AFP about the challenges of conveying C-3PO's much-loved character.
And the 61-year-old said he did not mind forever being linked with his character, unlike the late Guinness, who was dismissive of his role as Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Alec Guinness was my rock, a wonderful person and one of the most talented actors England ever produced," Daniels said of the legendary British Oscar winner.
"But it worried me that he eventually became slightly negative about 'Star Wars'. I'm guessing he felt it was beneath him.
Star Wars film merchandise is seen on display at a stall at the Star Wars Celebration Europe event in London
© AFP/File Carl De Souza"But I think he was in error in not honouring 'Star Wars', not realising how valuable his performance and presence was.
"It was just as valid as anything he did, from 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' (1949) to 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957); he had a vast range.
"To me, it's just as valuable. My friends in the Royal Shakespeare Company slightly felt it an insignificance. But I'm actually rather proud to be a part of 'Star Wars'.
"It's not necessarily the sort of film I would go and watch if I wasn't in it, but there's 20,000 people here each day," he said of the three-day Celebration Europe, the fifth giant official convention and the first held outside the United States.
"And there's the millions of people around the world, who seem to know more about 'Star Wars' than I do."
Daniels said he could never have forecast the film's runaway success, which sparked a revolution in the way children's movies were marketed.
"We all imagined it was a pretty hokey film and it really took it being on the cover of Newsweek to bring it home to me just how stunning this was. But even then I didn't realise how big it would grow," he said.
"And from one film I didn't want to be in, I became pretty much the only actor to be in all six films," he mused.
British police officers walk past actors dressed as Stromtroopers from the film 'Star Wars' during a posed photo opportunity at Star Wars Celebration Europe in London
© AFP/File Carl De SOuzaC-3PO was intended to resemble an American used car salesman, but Daniels' interpretation as a slightly camp, worry-prone pedant convinced the producers.
"I saw a vulnerability in the original concept," said Daniels, whose voice is clearly recognisable as Threepio's without the robotic effects.
"There is a quality in him that wants to be part of society, that wants to be looking after people, that wants to be looked after.
"He also has no sense of humour which makes everything that happens to him slightly disastrous. But the enduring quality that I really admire in him is his loyalty.
"There are certainly elements of me in him as there is with any actor," he admitted.
"I'm not quite as fussy as he is -- I'm incredibly untidy, which people find amazing. He would really dislike that. I hope loyalty and friendship are the two qualities we share."
He said the challenge of playing C-3PO was in the limited amount of gestures the stiff robot could make.
"I had to create what expressions I could without coming within a foot of my face with my hand. There's a lot of gestures you lose by that," he said.
"It was a real challenge to find ways to get a personality through a face that doesn't move."
Besides life as the man behind the C-3PO mask, Daniels is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, tutoring post-graduates in computer entertainments, and also works with Boston Science Museum.
"I like the education side, doing something useful with Star Wars and taking it further than the movies," he said.
"I think maybe I'm growing up at last."
©AFP