Although it might feel like only a short time has passed since fans met baby Luke and Leia
on screen in "Revenge of the Sith," it's been long enough for that very same baby to grow
up.
"Revenge of the Sith" film editor Roger Barton just happened to have a son during filming,
allowing production to ditch their plans of using a doll for the baby shots of Luke and
Leia.
Instead, they filmed the newborn Aidan Barton.
The moment when Padmé gives birth isn't baby Barton, but the infant came in when Obi-Wan
hands off Luke and Leia to their respective families.
So, what is Aidan Barton up to these days?
In an exclusive interview, Looper spoke to Aidan about how he ended up playing Luke and
Leia, and what aspects of Hollywood he's interested in these days.
On whether or not Barton knows the story behind how he ended up playing the infant Skywalkers
in "Revenge of the Sith," he said,
"I do.
So, I was born up in Marin, and that's where my dad was working on the movie.
And George Lucas, he was going to use a doll for the movie.
And since my dad was up there working right as they were filming, he's like, 'I just had
a newborn.
Let's just bring him in instead, instead of using a doll.'"
The scenes certainly wouldn't look the same if the film used CGI or a doll, as Barton
explained:
"They wanted to do closeups, but they really couldn't using a doll, so they, they brought
me in.
My mom came in, and they just put me up there and used me for however long they chose to."
We asked if Barton has any interest in pursuing acting or if he took it up at school, and
he answered:
"So, my mom is pretty big in commercial acting, so she does a lot of that, but mostly, behind
the cameras, what I'd be interested, maybe even cinematography.
I think the only other time I've been in front of the camera is I was an extra in 'Pirates
of the Caribbean.'"
Barton did, however, put his photography skills to use when he was in school.
"Yeah, so I started my own photography business in eighth grade.
I ran that for a couple years and then kinda shut that down once high school got pretty
heavy on workload and stuff.
But since then, I've been doing just a lot of personal photography stuff for my Instagram
and just stuff that I'm interested in."
While Barton is more interested in photography and being behind the camera, he's not opposed
to dusting off his "Star Wars" chops to appear in a future film or show.
"So, I'd love to have any cameo or part in any 'Star Wars' movie, just to continue what
happened when I was super young.
That'd be really cool.
I think being in 'Obi-Wan' would be pretty cool, just because it's kinda based on where
I was as a child and picking up after that.
I think that'd be pretty awesome, and of course, I'd have to be a Sith."
Barton is even willing to play a pre-"New Hope" Luke if the opportunity presents itself
on either "Obi-Wan" Kenobi or another project:
"That'd be awesome.
I mean, I think they're pretty done with the series, but in the future, yeah, totally."
It's understandable why Barton would gravitate toward anything set before the original "Star
Wars" trilogy.
When we asked about his status as a fan of the universe, he answered,
"I love the movies.
But I have to stick to the prequels as my favorite.
Ever since the new ones came out, I've seen a couple, but not my favorite.
I'd have to say 'Revenge of the Sith' is my favorite, but that's biased.
But yeah, I mean, pretty, pretty strong 'Star Wars' fan, but based on trivia and stuff,
I'd probably get lost."
Considering the sheer amount of content dropped in theaters and Disney+ over the last few
years, we can't see how anyone would hold that against him.
The 17-year-old senior in high school is headed off to Boulder for college next year with
an undeclared major but a firm interest in photography.
Fans can follow Barton and his photography on his Instagram: @aidanbar1.
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