Silas Carson: The Man Behind Nute Gunray, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Droid Attacks on Wookiees
Silas Carson played 4 different characters across all of the Star Wars prequels, especially known for his iconic portrayals of Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and Trade Federation leader Nute Gunray. Yup, same guy.
Mr. Carson’s time, stories and incredible charm was such a thrill. I am so proud of this fantastic interview and, as I said over and over again, it was a huge honor. We talk about it all in this Star Wars interview podcast.
(Listen closely to when he starts doing voices of these characters and figure out if you can hear me have a minor freak out.)
Noah Segan: From Brick and Looper to The Last Jedi and Knives Out (and Beyond)
From Stomeroni Starck in The Last Jedi to his roles in Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper and as Trooper Wagner in Knives Out, Noah Segan (and his frequent collaborations with director Rian Johnson) has been simply incredible.
You’ll be able to tell … very quickly how much I enjoyed this conversation, from discussing his first meeting with Rian, to some, well, exclusive news about the Stomeroni Starck and Trooper Wagner spin-off shows, all in this episode of this Star Wars podcast interview.
Thank you to Mr. Segan for his time and “silly stories”, as well as to friend of the show, Phil Nobile Jr., for connecting us!
Next week’s episode is with Silas Carson (Ki-Adi-Mundi), so stay tuned!
And, quick announcement: since August would have been a time for us to all meet at Star Wars Celebration, and I would have had swag to give out to you all, I’m instead giving away a ton of rare, signed stuff online, instead. Head to our Twitter account (www.twitter.com/TalkingBay94) to see how you can win by just leaving a 5-star review this month for the show.
Also check out our new ranking over at Feedspot.com, where we’ve just been listed as one of the Top 25 Star Wars Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020! Thank you, Feedspot!
It is always so appreciated if you can leave a 5-star review of the show right here on your favorite podcast app, or on Podchaser: podchaser.com/TalkingBay94
For more behind-the-scenes stuff, as well as a link to some of our other in-depth interviews, check out:
Website: www.TalkingBay94.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TalkingBay94
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TalkingBay94
Instagram: www.instagram.com/TalkingBay94
Scott Trowbridge: Imagineering Star Wars Galaxy's Edge for Disney Parks
Today I’m talking to Scott Trowbridge, Portfolio Creative Executive and Studio Leader at Walt Disney Imagineering, who helped spearhead Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the land we now know as Black Spire Outpost.
It was a huge honor to learn more about his background, story and experiences, as him and his team created a tangible Star Wars world from scratch, with some fascinating insight into building Batuu, all in this Star Wars podcast interview episode.
I want to give a special thanks, as well, to Kevin at Disney Imagineering for his help coordinating, promoting and making this all possible!
Masi Oka: On Designing Effects for the Star Wars Prequels, and the "Hiro's Journey"
You may know today’s guest as Hiro from NBC’s HEROES, but Masi Oka also worked at Industrial Light & Magic as a Digital Effects Artist on the Star Wars prequels.
We dive deep into his career, both at ILM and about his start in acting. And we focus in on one of his biggest contributions to Attack of the Clones: the effects of the seismic blast on the asteroid belt. All in this episode of a Star Wars interview podcast.
What an incredible thrill it is to have been able to interview Mr. Oka, especially because his character of Hiro Nakamura meant so so much to me growing up. And, now that we’ve had both him and Greg Grunberg on the same show, maybe it’s just time for me to just spin off into a TALKING HEROES podcast.
Terryl Whitlatch: Designing Jar Jar Binks, Sebulba and Dewbacks for Star Wars
The incredibly talented artist responsible for the designs of Jar Jar Binks, Sebulba and so many more in The Phantom Menace is the legendary Terryl Whitlatch. Just flip through a dog-eared copy of Art Of TPM and see for yourself.
Ms. Whitlatch’s contributions to the saga cannot be overstated: whether it was the Dewbacks and new Jabba denizens of the Special Editions, the Podracer pilots or the creatures of Naboo’s planet core, I am just thrilled and honored to be able to share her story with you all and I hope you enjoy it as much as you’ll be quickly able to tell that I did. All on this episode of this Star Wars interview podcast!
I don’t think I’ve gushed in an interview like this before, but please correct me if I’m wrong. I just want to thank Ms. Whitlatch again for the incredible, incredible interview.
Greg Grunberg: Playing Snap Wexley and Watching Star Wars for the First Time with Best Friend, JJ Abrams
The ace pilot of the Resistance makes a rare podcast appearance this week on Talking Bay 94. We dive in deep with his role as Matt Parkman in Heroes, being directed by his best friend (J.J. Abrams), upcoming opportunities for Snap Wexley to make his triumphant return, as well as working alongside both his acting idols and the cast of creatures that populate the galaxy.
In case you could not hear my smiling throughout the episode, it was such an honor to have Mr. Grunberg on the show. If you would like to watch the video version of this interview, to see that smiling for yourself, head to the Talking Bay 94 YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCElrDBUy1VVaQcw30Ow3UgQ
Be sure to check out Greg’s DREAM JUMPER, as well as the incredible series THE INSIDERS that he is currently producing, hosted on his YouTube channel.
- DREAM JUMPER: https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B06XKM8JKJ/ref=dp_st_0545826047
- THE INSIDERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGgRlkGRvo
The Empire Strikes Back at 40: An Anniversary Celebration
Today May 21, 2020 is the 40th anniversary of the best movies (and one of my favorite movies) of all time: The Empire Strikes Back.
With the two year anniversary of this podcast happening this week, as well, I thought it would be fun for me to go back through the past 65 or so episodes of this show and pull some of my favorite moments from some of my favorite guests, as they talk about what it was like, firsthand, to work on the sequel to Star Wars.
If you know me at all, this look back focuses mostly on the special effects: Industrial Light and Magic’s move from Van Nuys to San Rafael, the Hoth sequences, the Tauntauns, the walkers, and go motion.
I’ll be introducing the previous guests who are talking throughout, but just know that it is a combination of ILM wizards, legendary editors and unsung heroes. I’m talking about a total of 16 Academy Awards won in this 25 minute episode.
So let’s all just buckle up and take a trip back even before that 1980 release, before we knew who Luke’s father was and before anyone of us had ever even seen The Empire Strikes Back.
Dan Madsen: Creator of the Star Wars Insider and Star Wars Celebration
If you’ve ever read an issue of the Star Wars Insider or attended Star Wars Celebration, you’ve got today’s guest, Dan Madsen, to thank.
Founder of the Lucasfilm Fan Club, Mr. Madsen got his start as the president of the Star Trek Fan Club, eventually coming to LFL in a time when there were no new Star Wars movies being made.
Whether talking about those early days of the magazine, his cameo in The Phantom Menace, or the rainy start of Star Wars Celebration Denver, Mr. Madsen’s love of the fan community and his passion for projects like Her Universe is evident in every answer.
It really is an honor to have Mr. Madsen on the show, if only to thank him profusely for the Insider articles that are still some of the best, most comprehensive resources out there, for Star Wars fans.
Make sure to check out his newest venture, Svaha, filled with some incredibly cool clothes and apparel, focused on STEAM, at: svahausa.com
Ken Ralston: The Effects Magic of Star Trek, Back to the Future and Return of the Jedi
What hasn’t Ken Ralston done? Whether talking through his early days working on the Original Trilogy, Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and a host of Bob Zemeckis classics (including the Back to the Future trilogy), Mr. Ralston is full of incredible, historic stories, a living legend.
Strap in for visual effects conversations about working with the Dykstraflex, Videomatics, motion capture, and Ceti Eels.
Sam Witwer: Playing Starkiller, Voicing Maul and Hyping The Siege of Mandalore
You may know Sam Witwer as Starkiller from THE FORCE UNLEASHED and, of course, the voice of Maul in THE CLONE WARS, REBELS and SOLO.
But, right before we talked (just a few days before the first episode of THE SIEGE OF MANDALORE premiered), he tweeted “this may be the best thing we’ve ever done”, so we had to talk about that first.
After that, though, just buckle up for almost an hour of incredible stories, lore and the importance of “George Lucas Star Wars”.
You can find him on Twitter at @SamWitwer and on Instagram at @switwer1, as well as his website: samwitwer.com. His newest album, REVENGE OF THE CRASHTONES is some great music to blast while working from home.