At the beginning of his spotlight panel at New York Comic Con on Sunday, Star Wars actor Anthony Daniels stated that he would not be spilling any secrets about the upcoming Episode VII, but it didn’t quite turn out that way.

“Walls have ears. And we know what they look like. They’re very big ears…” the man inside the C-3P0 costume stated as to why he wouldn’t be speaking at all about the impending sequel while at the same time pantomiming a set of Mickey Mouse ears. And for a majority of the panel, he did just that as he ran up and down the aisles to take questions from fans and even hilariously staging an impromptu scene from the first Star Wars film with the help of several audience members.

However, towards the end of the panel, Daniels was asked about being the only actor who appeared in all six episodes of the franchise and “maybe seven?”

“Yes, I am the only actor to be in all seven because I feel -” Daniels replied before catching himself. “Six! Whatever.” He then went on to pantomime a call back to his “big ears” comment from the start of the panel.

So, was it an honest slip up or had he been looking for a way to mention he would be back without looking like he was intentionally giving things away? Either way, the return of C-3P0, and presumably his counterpart R2-D2, for Episode VII really comes as no surprise. Lucas has always said that the two characters were really through whose eyes we were seeing the story unfold, much like the two comic relief peasants in Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, a source for much of Lucas’s initial inspiration for the series.

Episode VII will be in front of the cameras early next year for its 2015 release.