Interview courtesy of and thanks to Coolwaters Productions!

Dave Barclay is one of the premier puppeteers in today's cinema! Dave used to make marionettes, and Mark Hammil was looking for someone to craft for him a marionette of Darth Vader. After asking around, Mr. Hammil was pointed in the direction of Mr. Barclay, who took the commission. Hammil told Dave to bring the finished product by the studio while they were filming and he would show him around. When Mr. Barclay arrived, Mark introduced him to the chief puppeteer for Lucasfilm, and a week later received a phone call from that same gentleman who offered Dave a job with Lucasfilm, and the rest is history! All at the age of 19! Unbeknownst to most, Mr. Barclay was actually the puppeteer who spent the most time animating Yoda in Empire Strikes Back! Apparently, production on ESB was running behind, and Frank Oz was due back at The Muppet Show, so when asked who would do Yoda, Mr. Oz gave Dave the nod! Dave has worked on such great movies as The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit! ISY:Which Star Wars movie was your favorite, and Why? DB: Empire was my favorite because of the story, character development, and it was my big break! 19 years old and puppeteer in charge of Yoda! ISY: What is your fondest memory while making the Star Wars movies? DB: Getting the opportunity to be Chief Puppeteer at the age of 19, which was given to me by Frank Oz! Really, anything to do with Yoda is tops! ISY: Do you collect the characters you've animated? What is your favorite piece? DB: I do have a collection of characters from the films I've worked on, such as The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, Return of the Jedi, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. My favorites are Yoda and Mr. Tinkles! ISY: Do you get any Star Wars items as gifts from family and friends? What is the weirdest item you've ever received? DB: Yes! One time, I donated a Jabba The Hutt to my child's school for a charity auction. A friend of mine was there, saw it, bid on it, and won it, then turned around and gave it to me! He didn't know I was the one who donated it! As far as "odd" items, I really can't think of any, though I'd have to say it would be the Yoda Pez dispenser. ISY: What is the most exciting project you've worked on to date? DB: The Empire Strikes Back. ISY: What do you feel is your greatest achievement as an actor? DB: That's hard to say! Each one is so different. I'd have to say Jabba the Hutt, as it was the first time I was in charge of an entire group of puppeteers all at once. ISY: Of the actors and actresses you have worked with, from whom have you learned the most? DB: I learned a lot from watching Harrison Ford work. He had a very dedicated work ethic, was very professional. I also loved watching Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His skill with interacting with green screen was amazing! ISY: What project do you wish you could go back to and redo in order to improve your part in it? DB: I'm always trying to improve on the next project. ISY: What project challenged you the most as an actor? DB: Definitely Empire, where I was dropped into the deep end at the age of 19! ISY: If you could take on any role in any project, as an actor, who would you most like to portray? DB: I'd like to do my own project, based on my parents' puppet plays! ISY: If you could be involved in remaking any classic movie, which would it be and why? DB: The Star Wars films, if they ever remade them! ISY: Has the staying power of Star Wars surprised you? DB: Yes. It all seemed to fade out a bit in the early 90's. ISY: Were you a Star Wars fan before being involved as an actor in it? DB: Yes! Our many thanks go out to Dave Barclay for taking the time to answer our questions for us, and we wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors!