Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Mark Hamill Says BB-8 Ball Droid Is Not CGI

Besides talking about the film’s focus and the challenges of returning to his iconic role as Luke Skywalker, Hamill revealed that BB-8, the “ball droid” seen in the Force Awakens trailer, is in fact a practical effect rather than a digital one.

“They never cease to amaze me with what they’re able to come up with, you know?” Hamill told Yahoo! Movies. “I said, ‘How are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?’ And then they have this new one….And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set — because it’s not CGI, that’s a live prop — I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I’m telling you, it’s an absolute delight. And not having thought that I’d ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just – I get the chills. It’s just so much fun. “

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be in theaters on December 18, 2015.