The hype of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was insane leading up to the release of the film in 1999. The film didn’t live up to that hype for a lot of fans, but the movie did have some pretty awesome moments.
As The Phantom Menace is celebrating its 25th anniversary, the film’s cast, including Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, and Ian McDiarmid recently offered some comments on the film during an interview with Empire, and they talked about the critical reaction, and George Lucas’ direction.
McGregor talked about the pressure of taking on the role of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and how that was eased by working with Liam Neeson:
“There are moments in any script that become like little pinnacles, that there’s an expectation that you hit emotionally. And that was one of them. I was so fond of Liam [Neeson]. He’s such a generous and wonderful man — playing it was super-easy, because he was right in the moment with me, and I was in there with him.”
Liam Neeson goes on to recall working with Ahmed Best, the actor behind Jar Jar Binks, and how he was hurt by how the actor was treated by fans:
“Ahmed was so funny and inventive. Myself and Ewan were personally hurt and offended by the critical reaction to the character.”
Hayden Christensen, who took on the role of Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones opened up about what the opportunity was like for him to take on this role, saying:
“The scope of the opportunity — the enormity of it all — was exciting to me. It was obviously a little daunting too, but there’s a saying: ‘Pressure is privilege’. I just felt very lucky to have it. I was really thrilled that I was gonna get to express George’s mapping out of how someone goes from good to bad.”
Then there is Natalie Portman, who played Padmé Amidala in all three films. She expressed how she was initially worried about taking on the role but also why is was such the perfect opportunity for her, saying:
“I was worried about doing it, that I wouldn’t be able to do anything else after, because the series carries such a mythology in American life. But that was precisely why it was such an incredible opportunity. It bridged my career from a child to an adult.”
Ian McDiarmid, who made his debut as the sinister Sith Lord, Sheev Palpatine in Return of the Jedi, talked about his return for the prequel series and specifically talked about the fight scene he had with Mace Windu, saying:
“George [Lucas] kept hyping me up on that. I was screaming, ‘ABSOLUTE POWER!’ I said, ‘Do you want me to do some quiet ones, because this is a bit much?’ George said, ‘No, go further, go further!’ So I did, and he seems to have kept most of it — there’s no holding back there. The one that they like most of all is, ‘DO IT!’ People just love it,” he says. It’s official: the dark side has more fun.”
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is returning to theaters on the weekend of May the 4th, and I’m actually kinda looking forward to revisiting the film on the big screen.
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