There are loads of exciting things coming with the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story but high on that list is K-2SO, the surly droid voiced and motion-captured by Firefly‘s Alan Tudyk. The actor dropped a few new details about the droid’s history and his less-than-sunny personality.
K-2SO from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. All Images: Walt Disney Pictures
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tudyk dropped a few more hints about his sure to be popular character. Like, for example, Kaytoo is 216cm tall and was formerly a security droid for the Empire. An enforcer and guard, hence the size and demeanour. He’s since been reprogrammed to be a sidekick to Rebel captain Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna.
The character also has an English accent, because Tudyk saw that as a big difference between the Empire and Rebellion. “I feel like a lot of the Imperial characters are English, and the Rebels tended to be like Han Solo, you think of the Americans,” Tudyk told EW. “And because he was a droid, it made sense that it would be more of a proper accent.”
If you followed the news at Star Wars Celebration Europe, you may know that Kaytoo (as he’s called by his friends) is a bit of a curmudgeon, described as an “old person” by Tudyk. “He can say insulting things very casually if he thinks they’re true,” the actor added.
The droid doesn’t really feel or exhibit emotion, unlike some of his counterparts.
“He’s not an overly emotional guy,” Tudyk said. “He’s not like C-3PO, who’s like a fucking neurotic mess. He’s flappable. Kaytoo is much more in the unflappable category.”
And finally, Kaytoo and Cassian have been inseparable for several years by the time Rogue One starts.
“They have been around. They have been together for a while, a couple years,” Tudyk said. “He wants what Cassian wants. He loves Cassian, because he freed him. It’s also more paternal in that [Cassian] gave him life and took away the bonds of his programming.”
Odds are we’ll see more of Kaytoo soon as there’s a new Rogue One trailer hitting the Internet on Thursday.