Revenge Of The Sith's Baby Luke And Leia Actor Aidan Barton Talks Star Wars And Mark Hamill - Exclusive Interview

If the name Aidan Barton sounds familiar, you might have seen Mark Hamill's Tweet about the baby who played Luke and Leia in the third "Star Wars" prequel, "Revenge of the Sith." However, as Hamill later noted, fun facts sometimes go wrong, and the photos Hamill shared were of the wrong Aidan Barton. Luke and Leia's baby visage actually belongs to the son of "Revenge of the Sith" film editor, Roger Barton.

These days, Barton is a 17-year-old senior in high school preparing for college at Boulder. Barton has long since left his acting days behind, and he's far more interested in being behind a camera than in front of one. Although he's not particularly drawn to the prospect of a future acting career, Barton wouldn't say no to appearing in the "Star Wars" universe in the future to make things come full circle. However, "Revenge of the Sith" wasn't Barton's only acting gig. In 2017, he was an extra on his father's film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales."

It's not just Barton and his dad who have connections with Luke and Leia, however. The family happened to adopt the very same dog whose likeness was used for the 2021 movie "Clifford the Big Red Dog" in the film. The family named the pup Leia as a fun homage to Barton's "Star Wars" past. 

Looper exclusively spoke to Aidan Barton for his first ever interview, where the former actor dished on "Star Wars," playing both Luke and Leia as a baby, and he even revealed how he ended up in "Revenge of the Sith." Barton also cleared up the details on that infamous Mark Hamill Tweet and discussed how he got to hang out with Johnny Depp during a "Pirates of the Caribbean" screening.

Do you know the story behind how you ended up playing both baby Luke and Leia in "Revenge of the Sith"?

I do. I was born up in Marin, and that's where my dad was working on the movie. George Lucas was going to use a doll for the movie, and since my dad was up there working right as they were filming, he's like, "I just had a newborn. Let's bring him in, instead of using a doll." Because they wanted to do closeups, but they really couldn't [use] a doll, so they brought me in. My mom came in, and they put me up there and used me for however long they chose to.

Your dad was an editor on the film. Did he ever tell you any fun stories about the cast, the crew, or what goes into that editing process?

Mostly, the best thing that he got to do was dress up as clone troopers. He got to wear the costumes whenever he wanted, so there [are] some funny photos of that. The only other funny fact I'd say is my mom is actually the one holding me in the movie. Really, she's the only one holding me except for when I'm handed off.

Do you know exactly how old you were?

I don't know the exact age, but I was [a] pretty new newborn — less than a year old.

Mark Hamill tweeted a fun fact in 2019, revealing the fact that you played both babies, but he used the wrong photo, and your mom set the record straight. How did all of that come about, and have you had the chance to talk to or meet with Mark since all that happened?

Yeah. I was going along with my day, and I came home from school, and one of my friends sends me the Instagram post, and I'm like, "No way. This is funny." I'm like, "People are about to follow me on Instagram because he must have tagged me or something."  I scroll to the next photo, and there's this random dude. It's the first three Google images when you search "Aidan Barton."

[He] plays lacrosse or something. It was pretty funny. My mom's like, "You know what? I'm not going to let this happen. I'm going to email. This is super funny." She sent an email to Hamill's manager. He's like, "Of course." And they're like, "Yeah, sure. Why not? We'll fix it." They made the new post, and we were going to have lunch with Mark Hamill because he lives close by. He's over in Malibu. We had a date set, and the day that I was supposed to go over to him, the COVID lockdowns hit. It was the exact same day. SSince then, there's been no other contact. I'd love to have lunch with him, but it was unfortunate.

What would you want to ask him, or what would you like to talk to him about?

It'd really be funny meeting the same actor who played me later on in my life because [there are] really no other actors who've been able to do that. It'd be such a cool experience having lunch with such a big influencer and movie star, coming from someone who was in a movie, but I can't really remember it. It's pretty awesome.

On that note, do you remember the first time you saw the footage of yourself in "Revenge of the Sith," and what was your initial reaction, either then or the first time you do remember being able to watch it?

I watched it pretty young, and I don't actually remember when they broke the news to me that [it] was me in the movie. I must have been told later on in my life and been like, "Oh, that's pretty cool." It's not a fact I really go openly share with people. My close friends know, and if people do the research [and] they search my name, they can find it. I don't remember if I got a credit. I'm not 100% sure on that [Barton is uncredited].

[Did] being in the film change your life at all or [has it] done anything to impact growing up or the way that you see movies — anything like that?

Yeah. Being around an environment with my dad, being so involved in these kinds of movies, it's given me a lot of [opportunities] to get into that field. I'm a big photographer instead of more of a director [or] an actor. Photography is one of the main hobbies that I'm going to follow going into college. Hopefully, maybe create a major out of that. I'm going in undecided, but we'll see.

Did you ever get the chance to go to any "Star Wars" events or meet any of the cast?

No. That's something I'm pretty interested in because I've gotten a lot of DMs and fan mail saying, "We'd love your signature." I think I've gotten two emails or two pictures in the mail where it's like, "Can you sign this? I'm a big collector." The first person who sent out a picture sent the wrong photo of me. They used the new newborn baby in that one scene that's not me, and then, "I'd love to have your signature." I wrote back saying, "If you'd send me another one, I'd be happy to sign it, but this isn't me." I don't know why you'd need this, but he never sent something back. Conventions would be something that'd be interesting to me, to see what's going on and if [there are] any people who would be interested in having my signature.

That's creepy, though. How did they find your address?

I don't know. The first one was sent to my dad's address, and the second one was sent to my dad's company's address.

I'm glad it didn't show up at your house because I've heard that happens.

The first one did.

That's really uncomfortable. Leave people alone. If they have a PO box, that's fine. But leave people's houses out of it. That's so creepy.

There's been [at least ten] that were emails or Instagram DMs, that kind of stuff.

Have you ever made anything happen, sent a photo?

Not yet.

What cast members would you love to meet the most, either from "Star Wars" or anything else?

Mark Hamill would definitely be the biggest one because ... it was a long Tweet a while ago where he was like, "I'd love to meet my younger self," and I'd be like, "Yeah, that'd be super awesome." Obi-Wan as well. That would be really [cool].

I would love for them to do a Luke [convention] panel one day because there [have] been voice actors, too. Get all the Lukes in one room and have a big Luke panel.

That would be amazing.

Do you consider yourself a "Star Wars" fan, and have you seen all the movies?

I'm a "Star Wars" fan. I love the movies. I have to stick to the prequels as my favorite. Ever since the new ones came out, I've seen a couple, but [they're] not my favorite. "Revenge of the Sith" is my favorite, but that's biased. [I'm a] pretty strong "Star Wars" fan, but based on trivia and stuff, I'd probably get lost.

Who are your favorite characters, obviously besides yourself?

Yoda is one of my favorites. I'd have to say Luke is my favorite, [with] his whole character arc throughout the entire movie.

What about a favorite planet?

Let's see. I'm being put on a spot here, but ... Tatooine. Definitely.

You mentioned that there was someone else who played a baby in the movie. When exactly do you come in?

There's one scene before me where it's this baby in the operating room, and there's the robot who picks up this newborn baby, but that baby's super young. That must be a doll. I come in right after, on the closeups on Tatooine, and then later on, on the other planet [Alderaan], on the skyscraper.

We're in a new era of "Star Wars: now, with a ton of new series on their way to Disney+. Do you have any interest in appearing in any of the shows or even a future movie in either a fully fleshed-out role or even a small cameo? What series would you choose, and would you rather play a Jedi or a Sith?

I'd love to have any cameo or part in any "Star Wars" movie to continue what happened when I was super young. That'd be really cool. Being on "Obi-Wan [Kenobi]" would be pretty cool because it's based on where I was as a child and picking up after that. That'd be pretty awesome, and, of course, I'd have to be a Sith.

Would you ever be down to play a pre-"New Hope" Luke in "Obi-Wan"?

That'd be awesome. They're pretty done with the series, but in the future, yeah, totally.

You mentioned that you don't tell a lot of people that you've done this. What are their reactions usually like when you do tell people?

People don't believe me at first if it does come up, or they somehow get told by a friend. That's the main reason people find out — one of my friends says it, like, "Oh, this guy's in a movie." I tell them to look up my name, and then somewhere on images, my face is there, and it ties things together.

What are your thoughts on the "Star Wars" phenomenon as a whole and how that's impacted so many people's lives?

Ever since the first "Star Wars," it's set new standards for what movies can be with the amazing visual effects and acting. It's pushed the boundaries of what film can be. People took on and realized how incredible the entire movie series is. It blew up and has become what it is today.

Have you ever gotten to tag along with your dad on any of his editing endeavors or that kind of thing? Get into the studio?

When I was a kid, I'd love going into work with him. My favorite memory would probably be watching the screening of "Pirates [of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales]" with Johnny Depp, and my dad — [we] were the only people in the room. That was pretty awesome — got a photo with him. Other than that, probably Australia, "Pirates" again, but being on set around everything and seeing how it all comes together was pretty cool.

What was it like watching Johnny Depp watch himself play a pirate?

He's a funny guy in person. I love him. He is a character. He basically plays himself in the movie. He's that same, very personality-based, super happy guy. Super funny.

What are some of your other favorite movies, some of your other favorite actors?

I got to say my favorite movie would be "Se7en," [and I'm a] big fan of Quentin Tarantino films and mostly some of my dad's films, [like] "Speed Racer" and "Pirates."

[How did your family end up with the puppy used in "Clifford the Big Red Dog"?]

We were looking for a puppy at the time, and my dad knew someone that was working on the film. Everyone on the team [wanted] the dog, and it was up to the trainer. Luckily, he chose us, and we got her. She was dyed bright red when we got her and was already super trained. We named her Leia because I played Luke and Leia, and she had to have one [of the two names]. They used her for 3D scans, so all the puppy scenes are basically her. Oh, and she's a Red Fox Lab, age 4.

You mentioned that you like photography and that aspect of films. Have you pursued acting at all, maybe in high school, or is it something you ever want to dabble with again?

My mom is pretty big in commercial acting, so she does a lot of that, but mostly, behind the cameras [is] what I'd be interested [in], maybe even cinematography. The only other time I've been in front of the camera is [when] I was an extra in "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Did you get into any photography stuff at school or anything?

I started my own photography business in eighth grade. I ran that for a couple years and then shut that down once high school got pretty heavy on workload and stuff. [...] The photography business I used to run was a dog photograph business, [so that photo of Leia] is mine. [...] Since then, I've been doing a lot of personal photography stuff for my Instagram and stuff that I'm interested in.

You can keep up with Aidan Barton's photography on his Instagram handle.