New Star Wars Documentary Focuses on the Actors Behind the Masks

Star Wars was a career-changing movie for many--George Lucas became the most successful director of all time, and it made the main cast internationally famous. But what about the supporting actors, the extras, and those whose faces were entirely hidden behind masks? The new documentary Elstree 1976 looks into the experiences of making the original Star Wars from their perspective, and shows how the success of the film affected their lives. A new trailer has been released--check it out below:

The film explores both their memories of their time on the set playing Stormtroopers, X-Wing pilots, aliens, and bounty hunters, and how the continued interest from Star Wars fans on the convention circuit still plays a part in their lives.

Director Jon Spira spoke to CNET earlier this month about his film, and the decision to focus on an aspect of Star Wars that is rarely covered. "The truth is they were on that set," he said "They were at that moment in history, and there's no denying that Star Wars is culturally significant and important. So any perspective is interesting. Star Wars is such well-covered territory in terms of the making of, the mythology of the film, I think for a lot of fans to get into the DNA of it is really interesting."

"I fully believe them when they say they don't want to be famous," added Spira, about the subjects of his film. "They're just not those kind of people. They're character actors. And you don't get so many of those these days, even in cinema."

Elstree 1976 will be released in 2016.