Star Wars' Ian McDiarmid Was Hidden With Umbrellas On Rise Of Skywalker To Keep Palpatine A Secret
I still remember the teaser for "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," especially the ending. Rey (Daisy Ridley) looks out at the destroyed remains of the second Death Star. Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) farewell to his sister Leia (Carrie Fisher) in "The Last Jedi" — "No one's ever really gone" — plays as narration. Cue a smash cut to black as the distinctive laughter of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) seeps into the void. My expectations for the film were flipped on their head and I couldn't wait to see McDiarmid return to a role he defined.
Alas, I didn't end up liking "The Rise of Skywalker," and the execution of Palpatine's return was quite lacking. Still, I wish the awe and excitement I felt at the end of that teaser could have carried over into my experience with the movie itself.
Palpatine's return was a well-kept secret. In the age of set leaks, even director J.J. Abrams agrees that no one finding about McDiarmid's presence on "The Rise of Skywalker" was a flat-out miracle. To emphasize the surprise, McDiarmid even made a surprise appearance at the teaser's first screening at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration.
Four years on, McDiarmid attended the 2023 Star Wars Celebration and sat down on the "Villains" panel alongside Andy Serkis (Snoke) and Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma). The actor shared an amusing anecdote about how far the "Rise of Skywalker" crew went to keep him hidden.
A big secret on set
Ian McDiarmid recounted that during the "Rise of Skywalker" shoot, he was "smuggled everywhere, as me and [as Palpatine]." To prevent any "photographers who might be lurking" from blowing the surprise, he was escorted through the studio by people holding umbrellas to keep him out of view. McDiarmid noted that the procedure was different than normal for reasons that go back to his costume: "Usually you're invited to wear a hood, but I suggested that wasn't really going to work. So, let's concentrate on the umbrellas."
Palpatine's go-to costume is a black, hooded cloak. It's what he wore in "Return of the Jedi," throughout the prequel trilogy (at least when he was Darth Sidious), and again in "Rise of Skywalker." Rather than keeping McDiarmid nondescript, a hood would've given away his presence.
Behind-the-scenes photos of McDiarmid were eventually released after the movie's premiere. They actually underscore why concealing McDiarmid's involvement was possible. He only appears in one of the film's settings — the Sith world Exegol — and only shares scenes with two other stars: Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren). Still, if the umbrellas weren't so effective, the surprise of Palpatine's return could've been spoiled. Umbrellas are useful for more than just rainy days.