Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Director Reveals the Moment That Brought Anthony Daniels and Kevin Smith to Tears

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker writer-director J.J. Abrams reveals a “very emotional” scene centered around C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) brought both franchise veteran Daniels and onlooker Kevin Smith to tears. Smith — who earlier revealed he visited the Rise of Skywalker set — was present for a scene first glimpsed in the final trailer for the conclusion to the nine-movie Skywalker Saga, which showed Threepio bidding farewell to Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac), seemingly forever, when he said he’s “taking one last look” at his friends.

The moment was “very emotional for Anthony,” Abrams said during a stop at Brazil’s CCXP convention. “I remember after he did that scene and they removed his mask, there were just tears streaming down his face. We all felt it.”

Abrams continued, “In fact, Kevin Smith was there that day, and he was watching, and I went around to the corner and he looked like Anthony. It was very sweet, even on that day, to see them so emotional.”

The filmmaker, who appeared alongside Ridley, Boyega and Isaac, described his followup to The Force Awakens and Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi as a galaxy-spanning adventure packed with emotion as it ends the 40-year Skywalker Saga started with George Lucas’ Star Wars in 1977.

“It’s an incredible thing to see what the people beside me, what these amazing actors have done in this film. It’s a very emotional story, it’s a huge, fun adventure, but it’s also very emotional,” Abrams said. “And it’s the end of this nine-chapter saga, and I just cannot wait for you to see not just what the cast, but the crew has done.”

Daniels previously said Threepio is “front and center” in The Rise of Skywalker, described by the actor as a “very good bye-bye moment” for both himself and the iconic protocol droid.

“By happenstance, one of the best films is going to be Rise of Skywalker that I have adored working on,” he recently told The Star Wars Show. “I believe, the bits I’ve seen, knowing what happened on the set, knowing what J.J.’s like with his huge brain, huge intellect, huge spark, his childish joy in the whole thing, that’s gonna make this film for me the one to end on.”

Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Kelly Marie Tran, Anthony Daniels, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Joonas Suotamo, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20. Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.