Lee Towersey is a member of the R2-D2 Builders Club, a fan organization dedicated to creating fully-functioning, film-accurate droid models from the Star Wars franchise. At Celebration Europe II in summer 2013, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy hired Towersey and fellow droid builder Oliver Steeples to work on Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. As part of the film's creature effects team, they were focused solely on building astromech droids at Pinewood Studios.
Towersey has returned for subsequent Star Wars film installments, beyond The Force Awakens, though Steeples did not. Towersey has worked as a droid operator on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story and is currently involved with Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker. As such, he has been involved with every Star Wars film distributed by Disney.
Sources[]
R2-D2 Is in Star Wars: Episode VII, and He's Fan-Made on StarWars.com (backup link)- "Launch Pad"—Star Wars Insider 147
- "Bantha Tracks"—Star Wars Insider 153
- From Fan to Film: Lee Towersey on Bringing Droids to Life in The Last Jedi on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Forest Whitaker Set for Celebration Orlando on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Droids and Animatronic Creatures of Star Wars Live Panel at SWCC 2019 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars Insider 202
