Interview with Ian McDiarmid - Confirms Palpy sees action in EIII!!

[Beast]

I was going to add this to one of the various Palpy threads, but they all have just rumors from the set. This is actually news direct from Ian himself what's in store for the character. So maybe some of what we heard could be true. The report is from ComingSoon.Net.

Ian McDiarmid on Star Wars: Episode III!
Source: Teletext Thursday, October 23, 2003

Teletext spoke with Ian McDiarmid, who plays Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III. He says his character will be featured in "action-packed scenes" for the first time in the third prequel.

"You'd imagine that my character has been rather deskbound in the past but this time he will get to take part in the action," says McDiarmid. "I can't give the story away as George Lucas would kill me but I have been engaged in far more physical activities than any of the other films."

"I have found myself sliding down chutes at speed and landing on heaps of rubber, it's been a completely new experience for me. I haven't had to go down the gym to get fit for the scenes but I did need a few rehearsals to get up to speed."

"Most of my scenes have been with Anakin Skywalker [Hayden Christensen] who eventually becomes Darth Vader."

He added that "There's a lot of anticipation about the movie and I think it will be worth the wait."

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[2-1B]

If he is in fact sliding down chutes, then maybe it's possible that Palpatine is indeed a "captive" at the beginning of the film?

[derek]

I have found myself sliding down chutes

naw...he's got a sith batcave he slides down into. in goes palpatine, out comes sideous.

To the Sith Speeder, Anakin!

[Jargo]

Hey, guess what, it's Lucas 'hearkening back' to another old idea because he has no imagination. let's just reguritate everything we've done already. Only this time we'll do it with less panache and stilted acting. And john Williams can write a score that doesn't match the images, and we'll have a console game backdrop with a few animated game players and then what else, oh yeah we'll have characters doing stuff inappropriate to everything we know about their persona from the original trilogy. It doesn't matter cause kids today are dumb and they won't even notice for all the hollerin and whoopin they'll do once Yoda comes on screen. If in doubt have Yoda whip out his saber, have Anakin slice someones limbs off, throw in the dancing bears and the semi naked chicks and we're all set. Get ready to bank the cash Rick...

[plo koon 200]

naw...he's got a sith batcave he slides down into. in goes palpatine, out comes sideous.

To the Sith Speeder, Anakin!

I can't wait to see this.

[2-1B]

Hey, guess what, it's Lucas 'hearkening back' to another old idea because he has no imagination. let's just reguritate everything we've done already. Only this time we'll do it with less panache and stilted acting. And john Williams can write a score that doesn't match the images, and we'll have a console game backdrop with a few animated game players and then what else, oh yeah we'll have characters doing stuff inappropriate to everything we know about their persona from the original trilogy. It doesn't matter cause kids today are dumb and they won't even notice for all the hollerin and whoopin they'll do once Yoda comes on screen. If in doubt have Yoda whip out his saber, have Anakin slice someones limbs off, throw in the dancing bears and the semi naked chicks and we're all set. Get ready to bank the cash Rick...

As long as they don't forget the bears . . . as long as they don't forget the bears.

[Toad]

Hey, guess what, it's Lucas 'hearkening back' to another old idea because he has no imagination. let's just reguritate everything we've done already. Only this time we'll do it with less panache and stilted acting. And john Williams can write a score that doesn't match the images, and we'll have a console game backdrop with a few animated game players and then what else, oh yeah we'll have characters doing stuff inappropriate to everything we know about their persona from the original trilogy. It doesn't matter cause kids today are dumb and they won't even notice for all the hollerin and whoopin they'll do once Yoda comes on screen. If in doubt have Yoda whip out his saber, have Anakin slice someones limbs off, throw in the dancing bears and the semi naked chicks and we're all set. Get ready to bank the cash Rick...

I like it, and I'm not a kid or dumb. The Yoda scene you refer to is also great. The characters' "persons from the original trilogy" is irrelevant to what happened 20 years prior. People change, mostly they get old and can't do things. As such, seeing Yoda, who's supposed to have been the greatest Jedi of all time or whatnot, actually fight is very pertinent -- or else it's all talk and no show.

We have no idea what Ian McDiarmid is referring to. He could be escaping, he could be fighting. Either way, he's the greatest Sith of all time, so it makes sense to see him actually doing something (especially since the whole lightning-bolt thing is now not exclusive to him).

However, I do agree with you that Lucas is rather unimaginative in the first 2 prequels IN GENERAL. Hopefully that will be worked on for this film.

[TheDarthVader]

Thanks for the news JJB. Its good to know that Palpy will have more physical scenes. I can't wait to see him in action!