In an interview with Temple of Geek’s Nick Williams, actor Andy Secombe discussed his journey to becoming the voice of Watto in the Star Wars prequels. Earlier this month, Secombe appeared as a guest at Rebel Scum Con, a fan convention celebrating all things Star Wars. The convention featured a variety of activities for fans, including panels, cosplay contests, vendors selling collectibles and art, and opportunities to meet and get autographs from Star Wars actors and creators.

Interview with Andy Secombe at Rebel Scum 2025

Hear how Andy Secombe landed the role of Watto, approached the character, and how being a part of the Star Wars family has affected his life.

Andy Secombe on Getting to Play Watto

First appearing in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace, Watto was a junk dealer in Mos Espa who bought Shmi Skywalker and her son Anakin from Gardulla the Hutt as slaves. Secombe landed the role of Watto when he was working in London, running a small animation production company with a friend. Their company was on a list of production companies that did voice-overs when Secombe received a phone call from Lucasfilm asking for voice artists.

When asked who their best voiceover artist was, Secombe replied, “Me, I’m pretty good.” He was asked to come in and audition, where he was shown a line drawing of the character. The casting director told him that director George Lucas envisioned the character as being “on the street,” a bit shady, and possibly having “mafia connections.” Secombe came up with the idea of giving the character a rough Italian accent based on this description. They liked his performance, and he got the job.

Giving the Character Depth

Secombe believes that every character he plays has elements of himself in it. He thinks it’s fun to play villains, but he doesn’t like to play someone who is “out and out evil”. He wanted to make Watto “a villain with a heart”. Secombe also noted that Watto feels “quite tenderly” toward Anakin and looks after him, and that Anakin is also valuable to Watto because he is a great pod racer. Secombe’s goal was to make Watto as “likable as possible within the parameters of him being a completely evil scumbag.”

The Impact of Star Wars

Being a part of the Star Wars family has been great for Secombe. He has traveled all over the world, including two trips to America in the past year. As well as trips to Japan, Mexico, and all over Europe. The only places he has not yet visited are Australia and Taiwan. Secombe enjoys meeting the fans, describing them as “appreciative and fun”.