PT The Fantastic Ian McDiarmid

Just checking in to see how Ian’s plans for dominating the entire franchise is progressing… good …good .,, everything is proceeding as planned.

 

Also .,,, 22 years ?!

 

It's still here!!! This thread is still here!!!

It's sad Ian is going to be 80. Soon he, like Christopher Lee, will no longer be with us. Terence Stamp is even older ... soon he will be gone, too.

The next time Ian does a convention, I hope everyone gives him a standing ovation. It just wouldn't be Star Wars without Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine.

And if they ever get someone younger to play him in a prequel ... it would never be the same.

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5ISmWGvmaIU

Just unearthed this video from Celebration last year. As if this man couldn't be any more awesome.

 

Terrific actor, but until the Prequels I remembered him more for other films - Brother Jacopus, the sympathetic mass murderer in an episode of The Professionals, Gorky Park.. I was hoping the new Star Wars trilogy would bring him more work. Did he do anything notable after Revenge of the Sith besides Sleepy Hollow?

 

He has a strong preference for theater acting, so that’s probably why he doesn’t have a ton of “notable” films.

 

Why is that? Is living to an old age a bad thing? Since when? Both my parents are over 80, my dad close to 90. And I'm happy for that, to still have them, believe me. Everyone grows old, except for those who die young. But which is more tragic? I know this topic is about appreciation of an actor, which is fine. But why would anyone mourn someone still alive, let alone a non-relative?
Not wanting to offend anyone. But seriously, would you rather commemorate someone who died, or celebrate the fact they are still with us?
By the way, my great-aunt lived to be 103, bless her. I don't think she would have wanted us to keep reminding her she would "soon be gone" 20 years earlier.
Why not try to be more positive? Everyone knows we will all cease to exist some day, regardless of age. Anyone at all could die at any given moment. But do we really need to focus on that, or just LIVE instead?

 

Let's chill on the RIP Ian stuff, dude's 80 - Christopher Lee lived til 93, we still have some time left with our lovable Sith Master!

 

I really don't know why Disney haven't gotten on with a House of Cards style series with our favorite Emperor. Yeah - full-on political shenanigans, with Sid pulling all the strings.

 

There was Rise--- never mind.

 

I took a look at some of Ians other work since the PT and I think it might have become hard to not see him as Palpatine in whatever he does now. Which might restrict roles he is cast in. Its weird how recognisably attached an actor can become to a character.

 

Hard, maybe, but not impossible. Pacino played one of cinema's most iconic and bad-ass villains in movie history at a young age, Michael Corleone. Yet he has not become typecast as villain in later movies.

 

He's done plenty of theatre, tv and radio work.

 

Ian could easily do a feel-good movie, even comedy, if he wanted to. Imagine him as a loving grandpa, for example. Or a widower who finds new love. Or anything that feels like an ordinary human being, really.
He may not be interested in such things, but he could definitely pull it off.

However, it could also be fun to see him in a cameo role where he's basically Palpatine on Earth. Like a vicious CEO or president.

 

Exactly. And he's entertaining in interviews, too. The guy got a master's in psychology and ran away from his dad to become an actor. I think his dad wanted him to be a therapist or something. But that explains a lot about him. He can understand complex characters, Shakespearean characters, simple characters, etc. Technically, Palpatine is a simple character. He wants to be a dark side god who rules over the galaxy. He's only complicated due to his manipulative skills in both politics and the dark arts of the Sith. Despite this, Ian McDiarmid makes him feel like a real person...a very human and dangerous individual.

So, yeah. I concur. Ian is fab. And he's a fun dude who knows how to lighten up interviews. He can do it. Ha ha.



Even though I don't like how Sidious is written in TROS, I do like Ian's performance in the movie. I'm glad he got to interact with Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley. Honestly, that whole sequence was not a Star Wars movie, it would be awesome. But the rules don't make sense in the ST, the writing's ridik af, and don't get me started on that. Lol. Ian is a guy who makes anything fun because he's the consummate stage actor. He knows how to entertain an audience even when he's scaring them or perplexing them.



I'm glad that Ian made it to 80. I was concerned about his health for a while. If there's any actor I'd like to meet at a convention, I'd say I would love to meet him. As much as I admire Ms. Eckstein, Hamill, McGregor, Christensen, the late Carrie Fisher, and the late Jones, I gotta admit that it would be a delight to chat with Ian. He comes off like one of those guys who would make even the most starstruck fan feel at ease. Cause ya know what, kids? He's nothing like the Dark Lord of the Sith. Lol.

 

I still love that Ian's original reaction at being asked to return for the prequels was one of complete shock. George had to actually explain to him that the story starts about 30 years earlier, so Palpatine's age would mirror Ian's own at the time.

 

Has Ian ever worked with Anthony Hopkins? For some reason, I just imagined the two of them teaming up as a demonic/possessed priest duo.
Chills!

 

Ian McDiarmid in ROTJ during 1983: Doing a job.

McDiarmid in ROTS during 2005: He was havin’ a good time.

 

I'm pretty sure he did both every time.

 

https://www.slashfilm.com/1682471/ewan-mcgregor-obi-wan-kenobi-season-2-pitch-star-wars/

Hoping the news of movement on more Obi-Wan content means we have a shot at getting more Ian as Darth Sidious/Palpatine. He loves the role, Disney has to get him as much as they can while they can IMO

 

If memory serves, didn't Ian say he was giving up after Season 1 of the show, largely because he's started getting old? He is 80, after all.

 

Can someone help me track down two separate interview quotes related to Palpatine? I’m not sure if it was McDiarmid or Lucas who mentioned either of these. But I’m pretty sure it’s from one of them, but I’ve been trying on and off to find them for months now and have had no luck.

The first quote talks about how Palpatine/Sidious is the “politician Sith,” that his power and ability are focused on manipulating political institutions to obtain power rather than doing so through force. This one I think was McDiarmid.

The other one is in the context of Darth Plagueis, and it was something along the lines of his name referring to the fact that he unleashed on the galaxy the plague that was Palpatine/Sidious. I seem to remember Lucas saying this, but it could’ve been another member of the film production. Or maybe it was just mentioned in a reference book or magazine article.

 

It's incredible how he has dominated SW as the main villain since 1983.