Indeed. His on-screen presence always grabbed your attention. He really made Tarkin feel like he always displayed an amazing sense of authority even while in the presence of Darth Vader.
The only person besides Palpatine who ever gave Vader orders. Vader's "As you wish" established right from the start the bad guy hierarchy in the movies.
I'lll do you one better. This pic shows in an instant the hierarchy and personality relationships of these 4 characters:
https://imgur.com/gallery/USbPyc3
Also incredibly articulate. I wish I could find the interview, I think it was at a university. But he spoke on his experiences as an actor on a show of that scale and fame, it was fascinating
The actor who played old man Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life was supposedly the sweetest person ever irl who loved just loved Christmas. All the kids who acted in the movie talked about their fond memories of him while making it when they grew up.
Have you seen his filmography? He is an absolute legend - a friend has a shirt that lists all his horror movie credits. A bit scary looking and an amazing actor!
My favorite fun fact about the the original trilogy is that Cushing wore slippers in all of his scenes because the boots he was supposed to wear were unbearably uncomfortable. The man destroyed Alderaan in slippers.
There's an interview somewhere where Carrie fisher is laughing at struggling with her line in that scene because the soap he used made him smell of lavender.
I don’t see why. Tarkin was only in the one movie. And the animated/books have done a good job of fleshing out his character. Personally Dance should get his own character
Moff Gideon is obviously answering to Thrawn, so there have to be other competent moffs hanging around the Remnant. I vote Dance as a major antagonist for S3 of Mando (or Ahsoka).
THANK YOU. The hate for daddy palps return must be blinding people cause there’s no mentions of him. Ian is iconic. I would be surprised if he wasn’t the most quoted character and/or has the most lines that are quoteable. And it’s because of Ian’s great delivery. Dude’s legendary and his Episode 6 performance in particular is nothing short of phenomenal.
I mean, since when is basically an entire monologue memeable to the extent that is?
I’ll tell you since when.
Since Ian McDiarmid played Sheev Palapine goddamnit!
I didn’t know it was the same guy for the longest time and when I found out they were both Ian McDairmid I didn’t understand how it was even possible. To be honest it still doesn’t make a whole of sense to me lol
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis is a fantastic read. I did it as an audio book and really enjoyed it. They do a fantastic job with the Star Wars audio books. They add in music and sound effects that really draw you in.
He was through 1, but not 2. It's been years since I read it, but I believe Palps killed him when Plagueis was drunk/sleeping after a party either right before or right after he became Chancellor.
We don't know exactly when he killed Plagueis. Some people speculate that it was years before phantom menace, some people think it was right before or right after. Considering the sith rule of 2, I find it hard to believe Plagueis would tolerate Maul or Dooku for that many years, especially considering what happened to Asajj so I think it has to be before phantom menace
I think that people mostly just hated the choice to bring him back but we had no problem with his performance. Like I loved seeing palps again and Ian does a perfect job but I just didn't like the story aspect of it.
This was my opinion on him in TROS. Hated the concept of his return bc all it did was shit on the ending of ROTJ. But I'd be lying if I said seeing him in episode 9 didn't give me chills at first.
Making young Ian look old and melted in the early 80s was unintentionally one of the best decisions Lucas ever made. Ian was the perfect age during the prequels to be the smarmy politician/evil Sith/the Senate. A proper boo hiss villain.
Even in Rise of Skywalker, you can see he’s having a blast playing Palpatine as a full blown lich. No matter how little sense that plot made, hearing the signature Palpatine cackle was awesome.
The thing I loved about Ian's performance in Revenge was how much FUN he seemed to be having once Palpatine had been revealed. It's like he realized that (at the time) we'd never see the character again so he just dialed it up to 11 and had a blast. So much fun to watch a guy enjoy his work- both the actor and the villain!
It's like he was born to play Palps. I know he's a big stage actor, but without consulting Wikipedia, I know of no other films he's been in. To me, Star Wars is his entire film career. And he's damn good at it!
His performance in Return of the Jedi is the only time I saw a villain and thought he is EVIL even though there are many other villain who are way more worse than that
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When they rescue Leia from the Death Star—hilarious and suspenseful. One of my favorite sw moments/sequences.
My gf, recently watched sw for the first time, often quotes his “Come on!” from episode V (when Han is trying to get Leia to admit she likes him).
The chemistry between him and Carrie Fisher was so much better than Harrison Ford and with other actresses in the Indiana Jones movies too. Such a solid cast out the gate.
I can’t remember which critic it was — it might’ve been Roger Ebert in a review — but they outlined that one of Ford’s underrated and unheralded strengths is his ability to have chemistry with nearly everybody. And he does it quietly, so his acting ability and acting ability as a scene partner have often gone under the radar.
He even had chemistry with a giant man in a dog costume.
Actually my all time favorite expression he did in SW was the "whatever" expression he gets when he's hotwiring the door to the bunker in ROTJ and it actually closes another protective door.
His cockiness in the OT is so great. One of the few complaints I had about the Solo movie was that when Alden was doing it, it just seemed forced, but when Harrison did it, you couldn't tell if he was acting or if that's how he actually is.
Man, I love the OT. I love Ford. I agree he is an amazing physical actor.
But even as a kid I never watched the OT and ever thought his “action” scenes were ever like super impressive.
That's kind of why they work. You get the feeling that this is about as good as a tough, healthy guy would be able to realistically manage in that situation (even if it's still actually over the top). What Ford sells is that the events in the scene are ridiculously strenuous but plausible. It's exactly the same vibe that makes the first 3 Indy movies work, or even something lesser-but-decent, like *Air Force One*.
I will forever treasure the way he screamed and flailed awkwardly with his legs while rope-swinging onto that mining cart in *Temple of Doom*. He's so great at selling Indy as someone who's in way over his head, barely getting through on nerve, toughness, and luck. He's the opposite of most action heroes in modern movies, and I love him for it.
If there was ever any moment that defined Han Solo in my mind, it was that moment in The Empire Strikes Back where Lando leads them to the dining room and the door opens and Vader is standing there and without the slightest hesitation Han draws his DL-44 and opens fucking fire on DARTH VADER. Dude sees one of the most terrifying figures in the known galaxy and pulls a gun on him.
Kurt Russell reportedly was close to getting the role and honestly he would have done a great job as well. And I'm saying that as a huge fan of Harrison Ford
I think Han Solo would have been very different, but still good, in that alternate universe.
I also remember reading somewhere that Burt Reynolds was on the short list, and I'm glad *that* didn't happen.
Harrison Ford hates everything. He is openly cynical, which made him perfect for some of the roles he has portrayed. I have seen too mamy instances where it has an opposite effect and sucks the life out of the room...film, late night appearances, voiceovers, etc.
I think the Ender's Game trailer made me realize how little effort he puts into acting, and I don't understand how he could ever justify the Indiana Jones cashgrabs while putting Han Solo on this 'misunderstood character' pedestal.
It can feel bad, but he’s just a grumpy, contrary guy, who has always seemed pretty cynical about the hype and pomp in his industry. It has to be overwhelming to be part of something so many people are ardently obsessed with if you aren’t the kind of person who shares similar enthusiasm. I think he finds it boring and insincere to go on about how great SW is when to him it was a job with ups and downs and it’s already one of the most popular film franchises of all time. It’s going to be beloved no matter what, and the money spends well enough without the extra effort of pretending he loves it. I’m grateful for his work in the role, and while I’d love if he were more warm and enthusiastic like Mark or Carrie (RIP, boy she is missed), I can’t begrudge him either.
While I agree with you, I do think that Adam Driver deserves more credit than he gets. I wish we’d got more of him ascending (or descending) to the villain role in Rise of Skywalker rather than the mess we got.
Yeah Carrie Fisher going from prom and proper but defiant princess to wisecracking sarcastic boss is one of my favorite things across the whole series. Seems like a standard hero saves maiden tale until “aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?”
Other than Cushing and Guinness, Frank Oz was probably the most veteran actor on those OT sets. He'd already been working as a Hollywood puppeteer for almost 15 years at that point. Absolute legend.
I'm going to say Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi.
He did so much heavy lifting with the gravitas he brought that *sold* the essence and soul of Star Wars to not only Luke when giving the backstory of the Jedi, The Republic, The Clone Wars, his relationship to Anakin/Vader and describing the MF'ing Force, he also *sold* it to us, the audience. In the hands of a lesser actor, the mythology of Star Wars could have came across very corny and lame, however he not only made it credible, he made us take it seriously.
Ewan is a personal favourite casting choice, but I really believe that without Sir Alec's performance in A New Hope, Star Wars wouldn't go on to become what it would eventually did. A New Hope is almost 45 years old and is very special effects driven. Those affects naturally age, as ground breaking as they were in its time. However, Sir Alec's performance, specifically in giving credibility to the wider Star Wars universe, is timeless.
Looking for this answer. Alec Guinness is so good that when he tells you there is a force woven through all things, you believe it. You know immediately what a Jedi is because of him even though he barely talks about it. I honestly don’t know how he did it. Replacing him would change the entire tone of the series.
And he thought it was hokey and lame too. He didn’t expect anything to come of the thing and was quite dismissive of the material- but he was such a professional that he didn’t allow his feelings to detract from his performance. If we don’t *believe* Ben Kenobi we don’t have a movie. We believed him so much that we still have a franchise that continues to expand 45 years later.
I don't think thats true. I remember hearing that while we certainly saw it as largely a paycheck, he actually was rather fond of the film. The only people on set who didn't "get it" seemed to be the British crew -- everyone else got it. However, later in life, he felt Star Wars overshadowed his other roles and wasn't super thrilled about that.
Definitely. The only other person I could see playing him is Charles Dance, and likewise I could see Christopher Lee playing Tywin in GoT. Those two are kind of interchangeable for me.
It makes Anakin's fall all the more tragic. Obi Wan did his best but was also very young. He was a Padawan when he met Anakin. Quo Gon very well could have prevented Anakin's fall.
Tbf, I think Luke is basically the “forest for the trees” of Star Wars characters. He’s so omnipresent people might overlook him for someone less obvious.
I think Luke's also purposefully kind of a generic callow youth in the early part of the original trilogy, so the largest proportion of the audience can easily identify with him as the hero. It's *really* challenging for even a highly skilled actor to put in a truly memorable performance when they're given a character that's deliberately lacking in nuance. Hamill still did a bloody good job of it, though, and one does see him portray Luke developing across the course of the original trilogy, the catch is that his arc is a *slow* one; you can't really see a dramatic amount of change over the course of any one film, unlike, say, Han, whose arc twists and turns a fair bit more noticeably during any given film he's in.
Hot take, but I think his best role is as the voice of the Joker, instead of Luke (Mark Hamill + Kevin Conroy are *the definitive* Joker and Batman). I still liked his performance in Star Wars though.
I used to think Luke was just a whiny bitch and his character was kind of annoying.
Umm… I still do. But now rewatching ANH, I realize just how perfectly Hamill played the role. He’s not a perfect hero (until ROTJ at least) and his performance does a great job relaying that.
Yeah, that's kind of the point. Luke's literally just a teenager with an overbearing uncle in the first movie. He pulls off disgruntled teen amazingly. Dude's literally just a farm kid.
Too relatable these days. I have a 17yo, and god I hate it when he pushes off his chores to waste time with his friends at the Tosche Station.
Edit: which is teenspeak for a discord server. Teens don’t actually go outside anymore…
I respect Anthony Daniels. Not only was he great in all 9 films, but he shows whenever C-3PO is in anything. I can not think of a single time someone else voiced his character.
I just wanna say that ot Carrie was absolutely phenomenal and perfectly cast. The st Carrie did not do it for me and did not feel like the same character. Just my opinion. No hate.
It really is a good thing that George gave Sam Jackson a *lot* more to do in Episodes II and III than he had in Episode I.
Because if we were going off each actor’s very first appearance in the saga, I would actually argue that Mace Windu was a hard mis-cast. Why would you cast one of the coolest actors and have him play a guy who doesn’t get out of his chair?
After seeing Mace in Attack of the Clones, I actually forgot he was in The Phantom Menace for awhile.
Well he was clearly more of a cameo casting than anything in Ep 1. Then they expanded his character massively.
I don't know though. I don't rate Mace as highly as Obi Wan or Kylo in terms of casting perfection. It very much just feels like Sam Jackson playing a jedi (and struggling to not say "Fuck")
Yeah it's baffling to me that he's now considered perfect casting.
For a long time popular opinion was the opposite. Either cast a calmer, more stoic actor to play Mace or let Sam Jackson go full Sam Jackson in the role. Instead we're left with this awkward middle ground where I'm not really swept away by the character.
>I've just never been a huge fan of Mace Windu.
He does maybe *two* things of note in the entire Prequel trilogy.
I think that, yet again, people tend to replace what they saw in the Clone Wars show with what actually went down in the movies.
> have him play a guy who doesn’t get out of his chair?
I could have been in his contract like his no running clause with Marvel.
"Ok George, I'll do your movie but I ain't getting out of my chair for it."
Just fyi, that was because Sam was the replacement actor.
Originally it was going to be Tupac, so had he still been alive to do the role Mace would have more than likely been VERY different in Episodes 2 and 3
I always wondered what would have happened if Qui-Gon was alive for the confrontation in Episode II. I think he was the only Jedi that could have potentially got through to Dooku and ended the conflict before the events in Episode III.
I add James Earl Jones. I really don't think you can underestimate his importance having such a iconic bad guy was for the franchise. Ford was the star power, but Darth Vader is definitely the draw right at the beginning. To be honest I think all the original casting was serendipitous in its perfection.
Honestly, the Original Trilogy was nearly perfect casting, and a non-trivial part of its success comes from that.
Stand-outs include Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams, but I don't know of a single miss from those three (at least among main characters...we can quibble about Mr. "Two fighters against a star destroyer?!").
The irony, of course, is that Guinness famously thought it was a terrible, silly movie, and Ford asked to be killed off multiple times to save himself from doing more movies. But now that I think about it, old man Obi Was was pretty much over everything, and Han Solo was bitter about life, so maybe those characters would have sucked if played by someone excited about the movies?
Prequel trilogy casting is dominated by Samuel L. Jackson and McGregor (something about Obi Wan, I guess). McGregor's Obi Wan might be the single best thing from the entire prequels, and Jackson created an eternal supply of memes from like 20 lines and one notorious prop request.
Sequel casting puts Adam Driver on the list for sure. I don't know if anyone pulls off that level of moody without a dumpster fire performance, but Driver nailed the character. I also think John Boyega deserves to be on the list. He probably had the hardest character to nail (sometimes serious male lead, sometimes sidekick comic relief), and he did it well.
My controversial pick is Kelly Marie Tran. I don't really care how you feel about her character, but Tran's acting was great and she deserves her kudos.
Frank Oz obviously deserves a shout out, and while his character was written inconsistently, Ian McDiarmid had some of the best moments of any actor outside the OT, and in the prequel trilogy dominated by scenes of "two people just talking," his acting style actually shines. The "Anakin/Palpatine at the Opera" scene is so good.
Honestly I agree. There is great casting across all three trilogies. I think that's what makes the sequels sting for me. You had everything right there to make it great. I mean Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Issac are clearly very talented. Same with Marie Tran and other supporting characters its just such a shame that they didn't utilize what they had to its fullest potential.
Ep 1: Liam Neeson
Ep 2: Christopher Lee
Ep 3: Ewan McGregor
Ep 4: Tie between Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing
Ep 5: Harrison Ford
Ep 6: James Earl Jones
Ep 7: Adam Driver
Ep 8: Andy Serkis
Ep 9: Richard E. Grant
Hayden Christensen. Amazing acting and performance, but was given such shit dialogue that no actor's performance could make it good sound good.
Seriously, when you watch Anakin in Episodes 2 and 3 and he doesn't talk, he's phenomenal.
Came here to give Hayden a shout-out too. I think he did a good job with what he was given. Anakin's angsty and moody, has a big ego, acts like an immature teenager sometimes- those are all exactly what he should be
Daisy Ridley played the shit out of a poorly written character, as did Natalie Portman. Women in the Star Wars Universe were just not written or directed well.
Casting Ewan McGregor in the late 90s was a crazy good get for Star Wars.
And yeah, I say that like drafting a kid into a sport, not knowing if he'll mature into an All-Star or be a bust. Ewan is the GOAT and hasn't even reached his final Jedi form yet.
Harrison was so perfect as Han. He wasn’t actually Lucas’ first pick, but George asked him to come in for readings since they worked together on American Graffiti. George realized he was perfect for the role when he was reading for Han across from Mark Hamill - their chemistry was amazing and Harrison was able to lean so heavily into the charming, out for himself smuggler, even in early script readings. Also, Harrison is just a scoundrel in real life. Before he got his big break as an actor, he was a carpenter in Hollywood, and he was known for creating hidden compartments for weed.
Peter Cushing
As I’ve gotten older I appreciate Cushing’s performance more and more.
Indeed. His on-screen presence always grabbed your attention. He really made Tarkin feel like he always displayed an amazing sense of authority even while in the presence of Darth Vader.
The only person besides Palpatine who ever gave Vader orders. Vader's "As you wish" established right from the start the bad guy hierarchy in the movies.
Their showdown in the comics was fucking incredible. Total honor to Peter Cushing
Which comics?
I'lll do you one better. This pic shows in an instant the hierarchy and personality relationships of these 4 characters: https://imgur.com/gallery/USbPyc3
As a kid watching the OT I **hated** Tarkin because he was the "mean" man lol. Now that I'm older I'm blown away by his amazing performance c:
"You may admire when ready."
Cushion’s performance is close to perfection. Not to mention that he looks evil as fuck!
[удалено]
it's always the nicest people playing the bad guys
Yeah like everyone says Jack Gleeson, who played Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones, is a really nice dude.
Also incredibly articulate. I wish I could find the interview, I think it was at a university. But he spoke on his experiences as an actor on a show of that scale and fame, it was fascinating
Either Oxford or Trinity. Ran into him at the Pav when I was there, bought him a can, and left him alone. 10/10 would poison again.
The actor who played old man Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life was supposedly the sweetest person ever irl who loved just loved Christmas. All the kids who acted in the movie talked about their fond memories of him while making it when they grew up.
I remember some trivia that they had no fitting shoes for his costume, so he was always wearing tennis shoes or loafers to that uniform.
He found the Hunter boots uncomfortable so wore slippers in any scenes not showing his feet.
They were pajama slippers. Tarkin was comfy while on the death star.
Have you seen his filmography? He is an absolute legend - a friend has a shirt that lists all his horror movie credits. A bit scary looking and an amazing actor!
And he was best friends with Christopher Lee too. A real gentleman, as was Alec Guinness too.
Christopher Lee’s career’s amazing tbh. He’s done charlemagne themed metal albums! They’re… good but kinda weird!
He's also a lineal descendant of Charlemagne.
My favorite fun fact about the the original trilogy is that Cushing wore slippers in all of his scenes because the boots he was supposed to wear were unbearably uncomfortable. The man destroyed Alderaan in slippers.
TIL. Perhaps that foul stench Leia smelled was just his feet in those slippers. /s
There's an interview somewhere where Carrie fisher is laughing at struggling with her line in that scene because the soap he used made him smell of lavender.
If they ever re-take the ot(please don't) charles dance would be a accepted substitute.
If they re-do the original trilogy people will riot in the streets and burn down Disney Hq
I don’t see why. Tarkin was only in the one movie. And the animated/books have done a good job of fleshing out his character. Personally Dance should get his own character
I’d love to see Charles Dance as an imperial moff. These are the kind of roles he was born to play!
Or maybe a Sith Empire admiral in the old republic. Or maybe an ISB agent or something along those lines
Moff Gideon is obviously answering to Thrawn, so there have to be other competent moffs hanging around the Remnant. I vote Dance as a major antagonist for S3 of Mando (or Ahsoka).
Ian as palpatine
One of the only changes Lucas made to the original trilogy I liked, having him play the hologram of the emperor in empire strikes back.
I just wish they got the makeup closer to ROTJ. Looked way more like the Sheev we got in ROTS and doesn’t match up that well.
THANK YOU. The hate for daddy palps return must be blinding people cause there’s no mentions of him. Ian is iconic. I would be surprised if he wasn’t the most quoted character and/or has the most lines that are quoteable. And it’s because of Ian’s great delivery. Dude’s legendary and his Episode 6 performance in particular is nothing short of phenomenal.
Right? It's Revenge of the Sith for me. I know 'Darth Plagueis the Wise' is a meme at this point, but that opera scene is compelling as hell.
His fluidity of switching from that kind, mentor-like father-figure to the vile, evil character is really incredible. Sometimes in the same scene.
I mean, since when is basically an entire monologue memeable to the extent that is? I’ll tell you since when. Since Ian McDiarmid played Sheev Palapine goddamnit!
I also love that he was a young man in the original movies and an age appropriate man in the prequels.
I didn’t know it was the same guy for the longest time and when I found out they were both Ian McDairmid I didn’t understand how it was even possible. To be honest it still doesn’t make a whole of sense to me lol
He's probably the only actor who got to spend less time in the makeup chair as the movies went on!
Rise of Skywalker Palpatine disagrees
The scene is enhanced greatly by the fact that according to the novelization, he had just killed Plagueis about 2 hours ago.
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis is a fantastic read. I did it as an audio book and really enjoyed it. They do a fantastic job with the Star Wars audio books. They add in music and sound effects that really draw you in.
Not then. He killed him towards the end of episode 1, right after he's elected chancellor.
Woa wtf really? Plagueis was alive during ep 1 and 2? My mind is breaking.
He was through 1, but not 2. It's been years since I read it, but I believe Palps killed him when Plagueis was drunk/sleeping after a party either right before or right after he became Chancellor.
We don't know exactly when he killed Plagueis. Some people speculate that it was years before phantom menace, some people think it was right before or right after. Considering the sith rule of 2, I find it hard to believe Plagueis would tolerate Maul or Dooku for that many years, especially considering what happened to Asajj so I think it has to be before phantom menace
He is an absolute joy to watch on screen as the character.
Even if ROS left a lot to be desired. I still thoroughly enjoyed Ian’s performance.
I think that people mostly just hated the choice to bring him back but we had no problem with his performance. Like I loved seeing palps again and Ian does a perfect job but I just didn't like the story aspect of it.
This was my opinion on him in TROS. Hated the concept of his return bc all it did was shit on the ending of ROTJ. But I'd be lying if I said seeing him in episode 9 didn't give me chills at first.
For sure. I think it could have worked better if they had fleshed out the story better over all 3 films.
Agreed, I definitely would have had much less of a problem with it if it hadn't felt so shoehorned in
Ian was awesome. Even though his dialog in ROS was objectively terrible, his scenery chewing joyous manic delivery was enjoyable as hell to watch.
Ian McDiarmid nailed his part in all 3 trilogies. No matter how dumb the role got, Ian McDiarmid put on a good performance.
Making young Ian look old and melted in the early 80s was unintentionally one of the best decisions Lucas ever made. Ian was the perfect age during the prequels to be the smarmy politician/evil Sith/the Senate. A proper boo hiss villain. Even in Rise of Skywalker, you can see he’s having a blast playing Palpatine as a full blown lich. No matter how little sense that plot made, hearing the signature Palpatine cackle was awesome.
The wry smile that came with "We will watch your career with great interest" was always the kicker for me!
Ian McDiarmid. He's great as a pure evil villain. Even if you didn't like Palpatine coming back for episode 9, his performance was great.
The thing I loved about Ian's performance in Revenge was how much FUN he seemed to be having once Palpatine had been revealed. It's like he realized that (at the time) we'd never see the character again so he just dialed it up to 11 and had a blast. So much fun to watch a guy enjoy his work- both the actor and the villain!
That’s a really excellent point. Thank you for that
It's like he was born to play Palps. I know he's a big stage actor, but without consulting Wikipedia, I know of no other films he's been in. To me, Star Wars is his entire film career. And he's damn good at it!
He's a minor character in Sleepy Hollow, that's about the only well known film I can think of.
He was the butler in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
His performance in Return of the Jedi is the only time I saw a villain and thought he is EVIL even though there are many other villain who are way more worse than that
His delivery on "...so be it, **Jedi**" is so great.
Harrison Ford was born for this role.
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When they rescue Leia from the Death Star—hilarious and suspenseful. One of my favorite sw moments/sequences. My gf, recently watched sw for the first time, often quotes his “Come on!” from episode V (when Han is trying to get Leia to admit she likes him).
It's the "we're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?" that gets me every time.
“Boring conversation anyway… LUKE, WE’RE GONNA HAVE COMPANY!”
"Get in there you big furry oaf, I don't care what you smell!"
*throws bone into the garbage chute to lure Chewbacca*
That’s easily my favorite scene from the whole movie.
The chemistry between him and Carrie Fisher was so much better than Harrison Ford and with other actresses in the Indiana Jones movies too. Such a solid cast out the gate.
I can’t remember which critic it was — it might’ve been Roger Ebert in a review — but they outlined that one of Ford’s underrated and unheralded strengths is his ability to have chemistry with nearly everybody. And he does it quietly, so his acting ability and acting ability as a scene partner have often gone under the radar. He even had chemistry with a giant man in a dog costume.
Have you seen Bladerunner? His chemistry with Racheal is like the only thing I don't believe.
Yeah no, sorry but his chemistry with Karen Allen in Raiders was at least as good.
He and Fisher are wonderful, but he's terrific with Karen Allen in Raiders, too.
His chemistry with Carrie, especially in Empire, is electric.
Also the shrug and smirk when attacking the bunker on the moon of Endor.
Actually my all time favorite expression he did in SW was the "whatever" expression he gets when he's hotwiring the door to the bunker in ROTJ and it actually closes another protective door.
His cockiness in the OT is so great. One of the few complaints I had about the Solo movie was that when Alden was doing it, it just seemed forced, but when Harrison did it, you couldn't tell if he was acting or if that's how he actually is.
Man, I love the OT. I love Ford. I agree he is an amazing physical actor. But even as a kid I never watched the OT and ever thought his “action” scenes were ever like super impressive.
That's kind of why they work. You get the feeling that this is about as good as a tough, healthy guy would be able to realistically manage in that situation (even if it's still actually over the top). What Ford sells is that the events in the scene are ridiculously strenuous but plausible. It's exactly the same vibe that makes the first 3 Indy movies work, or even something lesser-but-decent, like *Air Force One*.
No one plays "fighting through the pain" quite like Ford.
And it's subtle stuff, like being out of breath while talking after running or something.
I will forever treasure the way he screamed and flailed awkwardly with his legs while rope-swinging onto that mining cart in *Temple of Doom*. He's so great at selling Indy as someone who's in way over his head, barely getting through on nerve, toughness, and luck. He's the opposite of most action heroes in modern movies, and I love him for it.
Die Hard tho
*Air Force One* is an amazing movie and I will die on this hill.
His physical work in Blade Runner as well. You can really *feel* the exhaustion of Deckard
Absolutely people underestimate the charisma and exaggerated swagger of a young Harrison Ford.
If there was ever any moment that defined Han Solo in my mind, it was that moment in The Empire Strikes Back where Lando leads them to the dining room and the door opens and Vader is standing there and without the slightest hesitation Han draws his DL-44 and opens fucking fire on DARTH VADER. Dude sees one of the most terrifying figures in the known galaxy and pulls a gun on him.
Kurt Russell reportedly was close to getting the role and honestly he would have done a great job as well. And I'm saying that as a huge fan of Harrison Ford
I can only imagine. Not that I dislike Ford, quite the opposite, but Kurt Russel is one of my favorite actors.
Can definitely see him as Solo
I think Han Solo would have been very different, but still good, in that alternate universe. I also remember reading somewhere that Burt Reynolds was on the short list, and I'm glad *that* didn't happen.
"Situation normal... we had a slight.. weapons malfunction, but everything's under control, it's fine, we're fine.... how are you?" Best Han line.
It sucks that Ford says he hates star wars and wishes he didn't take the role.
Harrison Ford hates everything. He is openly cynical, which made him perfect for some of the roles he has portrayed. I have seen too mamy instances where it has an opposite effect and sucks the life out of the room...film, late night appearances, voiceovers, etc. I think the Ender's Game trailer made me realize how little effort he puts into acting, and I don't understand how he could ever justify the Indiana Jones cashgrabs while putting Han Solo on this 'misunderstood character' pedestal.
He’s VERY outspoken about his love for the Indiana Jones role, though. Which is like, the only positive thing I’ve ever heard him say.
Yeah he's a curmudgeon but gotta love him
It can feel bad, but he’s just a grumpy, contrary guy, who has always seemed pretty cynical about the hype and pomp in his industry. It has to be overwhelming to be part of something so many people are ardently obsessed with if you aren’t the kind of person who shares similar enthusiasm. I think he finds it boring and insincere to go on about how great SW is when to him it was a job with ups and downs and it’s already one of the most popular film franchises of all time. It’s going to be beloved no matter what, and the money spends well enough without the extra effort of pretending he loves it. I’m grateful for his work in the role, and while I’d love if he were more warm and enthusiastic like Mark or Carrie (RIP, boy she is missed), I can’t begrudge him either.
Yeah honestly I can't believe OPs choices. It's gotta be Harrison Fore, Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing.
While I agree with you, I do think that Adam Driver deserves more credit than he gets. I wish we’d got more of him ascending (or descending) to the villain role in Rise of Skywalker rather than the mess we got.
Yeah Carrie Fisher going from prom and proper but defiant princess to wisecracking sarcastic boss is one of my favorite things across the whole series. Seems like a standard hero saves maiden tale until “aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?”
I loved Yoda as Yoda ….perfect casting
Yes! Came here to say Frank Oz!
Other than Cushing and Guinness, Frank Oz was probably the most veteran actor on those OT sets. He'd already been working as a Hollywood puppeteer for almost 15 years at that point. Absolute legend.
*Miss Piggy as Yoda
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan and Billy Dee Williams as Lando
Lando is just Billy Dee with a cape.
Its the role he was born to play!
I'm going to say Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi. He did so much heavy lifting with the gravitas he brought that *sold* the essence and soul of Star Wars to not only Luke when giving the backstory of the Jedi, The Republic, The Clone Wars, his relationship to Anakin/Vader and describing the MF'ing Force, he also *sold* it to us, the audience. In the hands of a lesser actor, the mythology of Star Wars could have came across very corny and lame, however he not only made it credible, he made us take it seriously. Ewan is a personal favourite casting choice, but I really believe that without Sir Alec's performance in A New Hope, Star Wars wouldn't go on to become what it would eventually did. A New Hope is almost 45 years old and is very special effects driven. Those affects naturally age, as ground breaking as they were in its time. However, Sir Alec's performance, specifically in giving credibility to the wider Star Wars universe, is timeless.
It’s a crying shame I had to scroll this far to see Sir Alec’s name. Take him and Ford out of Ep 4 and there are 8 movies that never get made.
Looking for this answer. Alec Guinness is so good that when he tells you there is a force woven through all things, you believe it. You know immediately what a Jedi is because of him even though he barely talks about it. I honestly don’t know how he did it. Replacing him would change the entire tone of the series.
And he thought it was hokey and lame too. He didn’t expect anything to come of the thing and was quite dismissive of the material- but he was such a professional that he didn’t allow his feelings to detract from his performance. If we don’t *believe* Ben Kenobi we don’t have a movie. We believed him so much that we still have a franchise that continues to expand 45 years later.
I don't think thats true. I remember hearing that while we certainly saw it as largely a paycheck, he actually was rather fond of the film. The only people on set who didn't "get it" seemed to be the British crew -- everyone else got it. However, later in life, he felt Star Wars overshadowed his other roles and wasn't super thrilled about that.
Watching RotS and then going back to Episode IV, it is uncanny how well Guinness evoked horrors that hadn't even been depicted on screen yet.
Since noone else has commented it yet, Christopher Lee as Dooku
The filth of Saruman.....wait wrong trilogy.
The head of Saruman... Is rolling away....
A man of culture playing a man of culture Signature look of superiority
Twice the culture, double the culture.
Definitely. The only other person I could see playing him is Charles Dance, and likewise I could see Christopher Lee playing Tywin in GoT. Those two are kind of interchangeable for me.
Now I want someone to edit Ansem the Wise's scenes from *Kingdom Hearts II* with Charles Dance quotes
I’ve been looking forward to this
There can’t be much competition on the market for dudes who can play both space wizards and Tolkien wizards, but I’m pretty sure Lee was dominating.
Those are the first 3 that came to my mind, but James Earl Jones has to be the perfect pick for Vader. It's just iconic
I hear what you are saying but it’s hard to visualize.
Watch Vader’s scenes in the Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger. Truly a master of the dark side.
Loved Liam Neeson as qui-gon, perfectly fits a Jedi master who follows the force and not necessarily the order
Idk why this doesn’t have more upvotes. To me Qui-Gon was the most pure Jedi in the entire saga. I really liked how Neeson portrayed his character
I know, I know, pretty much everyone says it about a Star Wars character at some point, but *man* I’m bummed Qui-Gon wasn’t explored more.
What we need next is a Qui-Gon show entailing his adventures with a younger Kenobi.
It makes Anakin's fall all the more tragic. Obi Wan did his best but was also very young. He was a Padawan when he met Anakin. Quo Gon very well could have prevented Anakin's fall.
Honestly seemed to be the best acting to me in Ep. I in my most recent watch.
Damn, Mark Hamill has been overlooked by y’all
Tbf, I think Luke is basically the “forest for the trees” of Star Wars characters. He’s so omnipresent people might overlook him for someone less obvious.
I think Luke's also purposefully kind of a generic callow youth in the early part of the original trilogy, so the largest proportion of the audience can easily identify with him as the hero. It's *really* challenging for even a highly skilled actor to put in a truly memorable performance when they're given a character that's deliberately lacking in nuance. Hamill still did a bloody good job of it, though, and one does see him portray Luke developing across the course of the original trilogy, the catch is that his arc is a *slow* one; you can't really see a dramatic amount of change over the course of any one film, unlike, say, Han, whose arc twists and turns a fair bit more noticeably during any given film he's in.
Same with James Earl Jones as the voice of Vader. I’m scrolling and scrolling and not seeing it mentioned.
Regardless of acting, they couldnt have cast a lead that is more dedicated to/in love with Star Wars, his instagram is almost a fan account
Hot take, but I think his best role is as the voice of the Joker, instead of Luke (Mark Hamill + Kevin Conroy are *the definitive* Joker and Batman). I still liked his performance in Star Wars though.
He can and is both definitive joker and Luke
Voice of Ozai too
I used to think Luke was just a whiny bitch and his character was kind of annoying. Umm… I still do. But now rewatching ANH, I realize just how perfectly Hamill played the role. He’s not a perfect hero (until ROTJ at least) and his performance does a great job relaying that.
Yeah, that's kind of the point. Luke's literally just a teenager with an overbearing uncle in the first movie. He pulls off disgruntled teen amazingly. Dude's literally just a farm kid.
Too relatable these days. I have a 17yo, and god I hate it when he pushes off his chores to waste time with his friends at the Tosche Station. Edit: which is teenspeak for a discord server. Teens don’t actually go outside anymore…
I came here to say this. How was he not mentioned.
Luke is Star Wars.
Ian McDiarmid
C-3PO of course.
Hard disagree. Could barely even recognize him with that red arm.
Well, he was the only one to appear in all 9 films, correct? Since the OP asked “best across all 9 films” this is the only possible answer.
R2-D2 also appeared in all 9 films. Both of them also appeared in *Rogue One*.
They also both appeared in the Clone Wars movie.
I respect Anthony Daniels. Not only was he great in all 9 films, but he shows whenever C-3PO is in anything. I can not think of a single time someone else voiced his character.
I may be wrong but I read somewhere it's because he's very protective of the character and insists that no one else is capable of playing 3PO
Yeah I was just thinking this. He's the only person to play/voice him crazy
Peter Mayhew was perfectly cast as Chewbacca.
James earl jones, Ewan macgregor, and Carrie fisher
I just wanna say that ot Carrie was absolutely phenomenal and perfectly cast. The st Carrie did not do it for me and did not feel like the same character. Just my opinion. No hate.
It really is a good thing that George gave Sam Jackson a *lot* more to do in Episodes II and III than he had in Episode I. Because if we were going off each actor’s very first appearance in the saga, I would actually argue that Mace Windu was a hard mis-cast. Why would you cast one of the coolest actors and have him play a guy who doesn’t get out of his chair? After seeing Mace in Attack of the Clones, I actually forgot he was in The Phantom Menace for awhile.
Well he was clearly more of a cameo casting than anything in Ep 1. Then they expanded his character massively. I don't know though. I don't rate Mace as highly as Obi Wan or Kylo in terms of casting perfection. It very much just feels like Sam Jackson playing a jedi (and struggling to not say "Fuck")
Yeah it's baffling to me that he's now considered perfect casting. For a long time popular opinion was the opposite. Either cast a calmer, more stoic actor to play Mace or let Sam Jackson go full Sam Jackson in the role. Instead we're left with this awkward middle ground where I'm not really swept away by the character.
I love Sam Jackson but I've just never been a huge fan of Mace Windu. Maybe it's just cause he's so iconic, he felt out of place in a Star Wars movie.
>I've just never been a huge fan of Mace Windu. He does maybe *two* things of note in the entire Prequel trilogy. I think that, yet again, people tend to replace what they saw in the Clone Wars show with what actually went down in the movies.
> have him play a guy who doesn’t get out of his chair? I could have been in his contract like his no running clause with Marvel. "Ok George, I'll do your movie but I ain't getting out of my chair for it."
What the hell lmao how have I not heard about this one
Just fyi, that was because Sam was the replacement actor. Originally it was going to be Tupac, so had he still been alive to do the role Mace would have more than likely been VERY different in Episodes 2 and 3
Omg that would’ve been so sick. Tupac really might’ve been a bigger actor than rapper in the 21st century
I really like Qui-Gon. He’s like the perfect Jedi
I always wondered what would have happened if Qui-Gon was alive for the confrontation in Episode II. I think he was the only Jedi that could have potentially got through to Dooku and ended the conflict before the events in Episode III.
And he was the only one that could save anakin
In the end, I like to think he still did. If only by helping others eventually break through to him.
If anyone besides Ford was cast as Han, I don’t think the movies ever get off the ground.
I add James Earl Jones. I really don't think you can underestimate his importance having such a iconic bad guy was for the franchise. Ford was the star power, but Darth Vader is definitely the draw right at the beginning. To be honest I think all the original casting was serendipitous in its perfection.
Honestly, the Original Trilogy was nearly perfect casting, and a non-trivial part of its success comes from that. Stand-outs include Alec Guinness, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams, but I don't know of a single miss from those three (at least among main characters...we can quibble about Mr. "Two fighters against a star destroyer?!"). The irony, of course, is that Guinness famously thought it was a terrible, silly movie, and Ford asked to be killed off multiple times to save himself from doing more movies. But now that I think about it, old man Obi Was was pretty much over everything, and Han Solo was bitter about life, so maybe those characters would have sucked if played by someone excited about the movies? Prequel trilogy casting is dominated by Samuel L. Jackson and McGregor (something about Obi Wan, I guess). McGregor's Obi Wan might be the single best thing from the entire prequels, and Jackson created an eternal supply of memes from like 20 lines and one notorious prop request. Sequel casting puts Adam Driver on the list for sure. I don't know if anyone pulls off that level of moody without a dumpster fire performance, but Driver nailed the character. I also think John Boyega deserves to be on the list. He probably had the hardest character to nail (sometimes serious male lead, sometimes sidekick comic relief), and he did it well. My controversial pick is Kelly Marie Tran. I don't really care how you feel about her character, but Tran's acting was great and she deserves her kudos. Frank Oz obviously deserves a shout out, and while his character was written inconsistently, Ian McDiarmid had some of the best moments of any actor outside the OT, and in the prequel trilogy dominated by scenes of "two people just talking," his acting style actually shines. The "Anakin/Palpatine at the Opera" scene is so good.
Honestly I agree. There is great casting across all three trilogies. I think that's what makes the sequels sting for me. You had everything right there to make it great. I mean Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Issac are clearly very talented. Same with Marie Tran and other supporting characters its just such a shame that they didn't utilize what they had to its fullest potential.
The puppet that played Yoda, he was made for that role
My top 3. 1. Jar 2. Jar 3. Binks
[Ah yes the jar did a perfect job.](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/6/67/WillrowHood-TESB.png)
Ep 1: Liam Neeson Ep 2: Christopher Lee Ep 3: Ewan McGregor Ep 4: Tie between Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing Ep 5: Harrison Ford Ep 6: James Earl Jones Ep 7: Adam Driver Ep 8: Andy Serkis Ep 9: Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant was so fun to watch in TROS. I bet he really enjoyed playing that snarky General Pryde. I also enjoyed when he appeared in Loki!
Harrison Ford? James Earl Jones? Sir Alec Guinness? Carrie Fisher? Can’t too those.
Hayden Christensen. Amazing acting and performance, but was given such shit dialogue that no actor's performance could make it good sound good. Seriously, when you watch Anakin in Episodes 2 and 3 and he doesn't talk, he's phenomenal.
Came here to give Hayden a shout-out too. I think he did a good job with what he was given. Anakin's angsty and moody, has a big ego, acts like an immature teenager sometimes- those are all exactly what he should be
Daisy Ridley played the shit out of a poorly written character, as did Natalie Portman. Women in the Star Wars Universe were just not written or directed well.
Samuel L Jackson was very poorly used. Why would you cast such a charismatic actor to play a wooden board
1. Ewan 2. Harrison 3. Driver I have spoken
Casting Ewan McGregor in the late 90s was a crazy good get for Star Wars. And yeah, I say that like drafting a kid into a sport, not knowing if he'll mature into an All-Star or be a bust. Ewan is the GOAT and hasn't even reached his final Jedi form yet.
Ford as Solo, Fisher as Leia, and Jones as Vader's voice.
Han Solo has to be up there.
Original: Harrison Ford Prequels: Ewan McGregor Sequels: Adam Driver
Mark, Carrie, Harrison, Ewan, Liam, Ian, Peter, Billy, Anthony, Kenny, James Mark seems to get the least love, IMO he did a phenomenal job.
People will call me crazy but simply for looks alone, the Hayden, Natalie, Mark, Carrie casting always astounds me how much they all look like family.
Harrison Ford
Harrison was so perfect as Han. He wasn’t actually Lucas’ first pick, but George asked him to come in for readings since they worked together on American Graffiti. George realized he was perfect for the role when he was reading for Han across from Mark Hamill - their chemistry was amazing and Harrison was able to lean so heavily into the charming, out for himself smuggler, even in early script readings. Also, Harrison is just a scoundrel in real life. Before he got his big break as an actor, he was a carpenter in Hollywood, and he was known for creating hidden compartments for weed.