The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Frank Oz On How Yoda Found Himself Returning In Star Wars: The Last Jedi


It was more than a pleasant surprise to see Yoda again in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The Grand Master of the Jedi Order who first appeared in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back was an easy favorite, many loving him for his quirky way of speaking and for the deep wisdom that he had as one of the oldest living characters in Star Wars canon.

There were a lot of rumors that Yoda would reappear in The Force Awakens sequel before the film made its big premiere, and while the rumors ended up being true, Frank Oz didn't expect that he'd be brought back to work on a puppet version of Yoda.

Speaking in an interview with IGN, the original puppeteer of the Jedi Master revealed how he ended up coming back as Yoda in Lucasfilm's sequel trilogy, saying that The Last Jedi director actually had lunch with him years back.

"Several years ago I had lunch with Rian [Johnson], and Rian asked if I could do Yoda in the next Star Wars, and I said ‘Sure,' because I thought it was just CGI. And then [Lucasfilm president] Kathy Kennedy, who I've known for quite a while, who's fantastic, she called me about it and then I realized that it wasn't CGI, that it was actually the character," Oz told the publication.

Oz wasn't so sure about using a puppet Yoda again, but Kennedy eventually won him over. The only problem then was how to keep his appearance a secret – luckily, Oz had a little cover story to help settle the rumors.

"I was told that that was going to be the surprise of the movie, so when I went to Pinewood I had to be a secret there. Although if people saw me… people DID see me, but if they questioned me it would have been fine because I shot Little Shop of Horrors ... there, and could have just said I had some meetings for movies," the English filmmaker, puppeteer, and actor explained.

"But the idea was to keep me off the credits," he added. "I was asked, ‘Could you have your name off the poster?' and I said ‘Sure.' So the idea was that that would be the surprise."

Because of his cover story, fans took the rumors of Yoda's appearance in The Last Jedi with a grain of salt, half-believing that inside sources were just making up stories like they usually do. It wasn't until fans actually got to see the film that confirmation was made.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently available on Digital HD and will be made available on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 27.

Read: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Rian Johnson Just Wasn't Invested In Exploring Snoke's Backstory

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fandoms page.