Movies - TV
Star Wars: Ian McDiarmid Refused To Do One Thing Before Playing Palpatine
By RAFAEL MOTAMAYOR
Ian McDiarmid told Star Wars Insider that before the release of "The Phantom Menace" in 1999, he didn't really dive into the backstory of Sheev Palpatine.
McDiarmid said he read the books but didn’t delve further. He said, "I'm left with the best tools really, which are just the lines, the other actors, and the situation.”
“He's a mysterious, dark character, but that suits me and suits him, because I wouldn't want to do anything to dispel the mystery, or to lighten the darkness,” McDiarmid explained.
McDiarmid added, "Early on, he's a successful politician, who seemingly wanted the best for his planet, and through that want, he might progress."
Underneath all that, there's the fact that "in a number of years, this is the most evil person who's ever dominated a planet, let alone the universe."