Star Wars is one of the post popular franchises in cinema history, spanning nearly 50 years and multiple films.
However, its prequel trilogy, which returned to a galaxy far, far away 16 years on from the 1983 release of Return of the Jedi, landed rather bumpily.
Fans often take issue in particular with 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, given its inclusion of Anakin Skywalker as a child and new characters like the infamous Jar Jar Binks.
And now it turns out one of the actors from the film also agrees, as Peter Serafinowicz, who voiced the film’s villain Darth Maul has revealed: ‘When I saw the film, it was the biggest disappointment of my life at that point.’
Appearing on comic Seann Walsh’s Classic Cown podcast, he pointedly asked, ‘I mean, have you seen it?’, having stunned the host with his announcement.
The 53-year-old actor made his feature film debut with Star Wars but has also appeared in the likes of Shaun of the Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy and the live-action How to Train Your Dragon since.
He admitted to Walsh though that he was rather perplexed by the design of his character and ‘wasn’t that into’ Darth Maul, who has red skin tattooed with black – including across his face – and spikes protruding from his forehead.
Serafinowicz also recalled how he felt stepping up to voice the franchise’s next baddie after James Earl Jones’s deep tones made Darth Vader iconic.
‘James Earl Jones has got the best voice of any human ever, right?’ Serafinowicz reasoned. ‘Then, suddenly there I was with George Lucas, and he was saying, “Well, Peter, you’re the new James Earl Jones,” and I was like, “F***ing hell, am I? Then why are you paying me such s**t money, George?”’
Is Phantom Menace the worst Star Wars film?
-
Yes, unquestionably
-
No, I actually quite like it
He also alluded to struggling with high expectations, adding: ‘I mean it was so exciting that even being in it and doing this thing – what I thought was going to be this iconic thing – it’s just unimaginable right?’
The Amandaland star – who has just excited Harry Potter fans by being cast as Peeves the poltergeist in HBO’s TV adaptation of JK Rowling’s boks – also remembered trying to impress his son with his casting, which didn’t go according to plan when he had to explain ‘I didn’t do all the sword fighting, I just do his voice’.
‘He only says about 20 words in the whole film,’ he added. British martial artist and stunt man Ray Park played the part physically.
But with Walsh insisting that it was still an ‘iconic’ role, Serafinowicz responded: ‘I mean, I’m delighted I’ve done that – it’s just a really weird thing to be associated with.’
He has since been replaced by Sam Witwer in the role, who recorded a cameo for 2018 spin-off Star Wars film Solo and then the main role in new animated show Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord which released on Disney Plus in April.