What You Don't Know About The New R2-D2

Rumors that Jimmy Vee was poised to take over from Kenny Baker as R2-D2 were rife after the little-known Scottish actor was spotted on location with Mark Hamill in late 2015, and now the worst kept Star Wars casting secret since Alden Ehrenreich has finally been confirmed. While slipping into a hollow frame and rolling around on camera isn't quite as glamorous as playing the young Han Solo, Vee will still get the chance to (quite literally) step inside one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars canon.

Playing the famous droid will represent the pinnacle of Vee's career to date—but this isn't the first major franchise the 59-year-old has been involved with. In a colorful career spanning three decades, the self-proclaimed wee-man has worked alongside Oscar nominees and taken on one of sci-fi's most beloved heroes, and he's never been afraid to take advantage of his frame away from the movies, either. From his questionable Star Wars knowledge to his run-ins with fellow small actors, this is everything you need to know about new R2-D2 Jimmy Vee.

The little actor community is tight-knit, so it won't come as any surprise that Baker and Vee knew each other on a personal and professional level. The pair both worked on Willow, the 1988 sword-and-sorcery fable that served as George Lucas' first project after the original Star Wars trilogy. After Baker's passing, Vee released a statement through his production company Oh So Small (the self-proclaimed international home of short, dwarf and tall actors) commending his late colleague and promising to do his most cherished role justice. "It's been an absolute pleasure to have worked alongside the legendary Kenny Baker," Vee said. "Kenny was a fantastic actor and taught me all the tricks on how he brought R2-D2 to life, which I will continue to portray in his honor. I'm so excited to be a part of the Star Wars universe and can't wait for everyone to see what we've been working so hard on for the last year."

As previously mentioned, Vee and Baker became acquainted while working on Ron Howard's Willow, though neither of the actors were credited for their parts. Baker was invited onto the set to perform a cameo role as a member of the Nelwyn band (he can be seen playing the bongos front and center during the festival scene), though Vee had his eyes on the main prize. The diminutive Scotsman was asked about his best and worst auditions during a Q&A session at the Midlands MCM Expo in 2008, and he revealed that he lost out on the lead role of Willow Ufgood to one of the most accomplished dwarf actors in the industry. "I went for the part as Willow when Willow came out... I ended up playing stunt double for Mr. Warwick, who's out the back somewhere." Vee is of course referring to Warwick Davis, whose impressive filmography boasts numerous Harry Potter and Star Wars movies, including 2016 anthology film Rogue One.

Vee spent many years working as a TV electrician to put food on the table for his two children, never really considering a future in acting until he noticed an unusual job listing. While flicking through the pages of a Scottish newspaper, he came across a casting call for a Hollywood production. "I didn't really mean to get into acting but I was bored one day and saw an advert in the Daily Record looking for people to audition for Willow," Vee revealed. "Since then I've been offered lots of parts, but I don't take everything. It depends what comes along and if the price is right. I'm more or less game for anything."

And when he says anything, he means anything. Vee has taken on a few roles that some people of his stature might find distasteful or even offensive, like the part of Midget in the 2009 short film Kilt Man, but he doesn't see the harm in poking fun at his size. "I am the first actor in my family and I now have an agent to get me parts. I don't mind if people call me a midget or vertically challenged because as far as I'm concerned, I'm a wee man and there's nothing I can do about it."

Vee's first actual movie appearance came in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, though his work as one of the Gringotts goblins in the first instalment of the franchise went uncredited. All the major acting roles for small people in the films that followed were snapped up by Warwick Davis, who played charms professor Filius Flitwick, the teller at Gringotts and Griphook, the treacherous goblin who helped Harry and friends sneak into the heavily guarded wizard bank. Despite not being offered any further work on the films, Vee was given the chance to reprise his Gringotts role in Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, a POV-style ride at Universal Studios Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Vee joined Potter stars Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon and Helena Bonham-Carter to film scenes for the ride's narrative, which sees guests enter the bank's vaults at the same time as the break in from The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. He also features in the park's Hogwarts Express ride, where visitors are transported from King's Cross station to the famous wizarding school with a stop at Hogsmeade along the way.

Vee already has experience working on a large scale fantasy, and we're not talking about his stunt double shift in Willow. He previously played pirate henchman Lofty in the 2015 fantasy epic Pan, an alternate origin story following J.M. Barrie's most famous character from his humble beginnings in a London orphanage to his aerodynamic adventures in Neverland. A role in a $150 million production was a huge gig for Vee, who appeared alongside Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (Blackbeard) in a number of scenes, though unfortunately for both actors the film became one of the biggest box office flops of the year and is remembered as an epic failure. Director Joe Wright and his bosses at Warner Bros. (who had already posted massive losses after Jupiter Ascending bombed) watched with disbelief as the numbers came in over opening weekend, with Pan just managing to edge over $15 million. In the end, the film couldn't even break even in the overseas market, killing any hopes the studio (and Vee) had of future sequels.