Steven Spielberg’s Shocking Reaction to Palpatine Actor’s Star Wars Performance Revealed!

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It was none other than Steven Spielberg who endorsed Ian McDiarmid, stating that he made the character of Emperor truly menacing.

Discussing his character Emperor Palpatine ahead of the 20th anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith”, McDiarmid reminisced about his legacy and expanding his role from “Return of the Jedi” in the prequel trilogy. On taking over from the late Clive Revill as Palpatine’s voice, he stated, “I felt if Clive had seen what that character transformed into or what it looked like, he would have acted similarly to what I was doing. So, I carried on with my slightly sinister voice, and neither George nor Richard stopped me.” During the recording of additional dialogue for his performance, McDiarmid crossed paths with director Steven Spielberg and future Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy then a co-founder of Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment. He recollected, “when we filmed the initial scenes, Steven exclaimed, ‘Oh my God, you’re evil!’ I thought to myself, ‘At least I’m getting it right.’

Playing the younger Palpatine in the prequels offered McDiarmid an opportunity to delve into the different facets of his character spanning his roles as a cunning politician, mentor, and dark Sith Lord. In “Revenge of the Sith,” he was given the chance to engage in combat with Yoda. This experience provided McDiarmid numerous instances of iconic over-the-top acting, as George Lucas urged him to take his character’s wickedness to greater extremes as Darth Sidious. He expressed that these moments were particularly satisfying because they allowed Palpatine to shed the hypocritical facade and reveal his true malevolent nature. During the filming of “The Phantom Menace,” Lucas advised McDiarmid to consider his face as a shell, implying that beneath it was an entirely fabricated persona. This belief that his own face and voice were artificial was incredibly helpful for McDiarmid in portraying Palpatine.

Somehow, Palpatine Returned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Initially, Ian Abercrombie and Sam Witwer took over voicing Palpatine in various spin-offs, but McDiarmid later reprised his role as the cunning Sith Lord in “Star Wars: Episode XI – The Rise of Skywalker,” also appearing sporadically in series like “The Bad Batch” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Released in 2005, “Revenge of the Sith” portrayed the critical moments leading to Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader, garnering the best reviews among the prequel films with a 79% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While initial reactions to the entire trilogy were divided, its narrative has since gained more positive appraisal due to the success of Lucas’ prequels.

In honor of the movie’s anniversary, it will be playing in cinemas and is projected to earn approximately $20 million during its initial weekend. This timing aligns with the premiere of a highly praised second season, echoing the critical acclaim garnered by its debut season.

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith is available to watch in theaters and on Disney+.

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2025-04-28 00:05