- Thank you Rodney Tosh for your time for the Star Wars Fans.

 

 

 

- In Star Wars Rogue One you playing a Lorrdian and a Death Trooper. How did you get cast for Star Wars ?

I was running around some fields in Oxfordshire in England as an American soldier in David Ayer’s ‘Fury’ movie, set in Germany 1945. It was a tough shoot due to the winter weather and long hours, but an incredible experience. An assistant director from Fury was working on Rogue One a few years later and remembered me. I was asked to audition in the suit, which meant a lot of action in the heavy, restrictive, but awesome looking costume. The Death Troopers had to be tall of course but being tall was the easy bit. Running in the suit was not so easy, but I guess I did OK!

- Were you a Star Wars fan before you got cast?

Yes, I was a fan of Star Wars before being in Rogue One. My cousin and I would often watch the original trilogy on Saturdays with lots of junk food and very importantly- the volume turned up loud. The creativity of Lucas was certainly amazing, but equally important in the success and impact of Star Wars was the incredible input from John Williams. My girlfriend is also a huge fan, which was lucky for me because we were about to head off to travel around Europe when I got the Star Wars call. The trip was cancelled, but she was very understanding!

- Could you share some funny, remarkable, weird stories regarding the filming of your scenes?

We were filming for long hours on the rain stage in Pinewood studios (the landing platform scene where Galen Erso died). To help keep my energy up I took to storing snacks and cereal bars in my ammunition pouch. Unfortunately on one of the takes I was in the middle of launching myself across the platform to react to the explosion, when my pouch burst open and my cereal bars went flying across the set floor. At the cast screening, I was sweating a little, hoping it didn’t make the cut and go down as one of the stupidest bloopers in history! Unsurprisingly it didn’t make the final cut. Unlike the final season of Game of Thrones, they had people who check for that kind of thing. Hopefully they didn’t have to digitally erase them!

Filming in Iceland was definitely a highlight of the whole experience. It really looks like another world. The Force Awakens, Star Trek Into Darkness, Interstellar, Oblivion and Prometheus all had scenes filmed there. It’s the place to go if you don’t have the funds to film off planet! Just after getting into costume on one of our shoot days, an earthquake happened near where the crew had set up location camp. It was my first earthquake and wasn’t very high on the Richter scale, so I thought it was one of the large diesel generators nearby. Also while we were out in Iceland, the legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog was staying at the same hotel as us and I had no idea until I heard his unique voice in the bar. I turned around to see him discussing recent footage with his crew. He was making his documentary about volcanos. It was nice to see him later cast in The Mandalorian. 

- Please finish the following sentence: “Looking back at working on Star Wars Rogue One .....

The whole experience was amazing. From the stunning sets to the friendliness and professionalism of the cast and crew. To borrow a line from Fury, ‘Best job I ever had!’. However, I wish they’d considered toilet breaks when designing the Death Trooper costumes.

 

 

 

- With a role in Star Wars comes a Big Fan Community, what are your first star wars fan experiences?

Just before the release of Rogue One, there was the Star Wars Europe Celebration event at the Excel Centre in London. The Death Troopers were making their first public appearance along with Ben Mendelsohn as Krennic. We accompanied him to the stage to cheers and applause from thousands of fans who were absolutely loving it. I walked around the exhibition halls afterwards and everyone was in such good spirits. It reminded me how big the influence of Star Wars is and its power to bring people together. With negative news stories on our screens and social media creating divisions in society, its nice to see something like this uniting people.

 

- Rodney , when you not work as actor what are you doing?

I love the outdoors and last year trekked in Nepal up to Everest base camp. It’s an incredible part of the world. No camera can do justice to views that big. I like to swim to stay fit. The sea is better than swimming pools, but in the north of Ireland where I’m living, the sea is pretty wild most days. To chill out, I listen to Pearl Jam, watch films, and drink red wine. It’s a healthy beverage!


- Thank you for your time! Let’s end this interview with some words for the fans?

The Star Wars fans I’ve met since Rogue One have been so genuine, enthusiastic and friendly. Thanks for being awesome! I’ll be at The Power of The Force convention in Oberhausen in May, so looking forward to meeting some more of you there.