BD-1, the main droid companion in the Star Wars Jedi series from Respawn Entertainment, has quickly become a fan-favorite amongst Star Wars fans. In a recent post, the lead writer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor spoke about how the noises for the character are recorded live.
What does BD-1’s actor do while filming?
Danny Homan, who served as lead writer on the most recent entry in the series, took to Substack to share some behind-the-scenes information on the game. According to Homan, BD-1 epitomizes what he believes Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is all about: hope enduring no matter what.
Homan then shared a photograph of actor Gideon Emery, who plays BD-1 in the game, that was taken during motion capture filming for various scenes. The writer then revealed that Emery not only acts out BD-1’s movements by following around actor Cameron Monaghan (Cal Kestis) with a replica of BD-1, but also does the actual noises for the character too. To accomplish this, Emery wears a nose whistle, which allows him to create different beeps and boops as BD-1.
According to Homan, having Emery on set not only helps make long production days more fun, but also gives BD-1 the proper weight and presence the team at Respawn believe he deserves.
“Despite his diminutive stature, BD is one of the emotional cornerstones of Cal’s journey,” said Homan. “When writing scripts, we always talked through BD’s reactions to crucial story beats. But many of BD’s most charming, meaningful moments were the result of on set collaboration, and Gideon’s keen eye as an actor.”
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
