MovieChat Forums > Dragonslayer (1981) Discussion > Did this flick get Ian McDiarmid his Sta...

Did this flick get Ian McDiarmid his Star Wars gig?

posted 18 years ago by Hoochie-Turner
9 replies | jump to latest

Just bought this on DVD the other day (having not watched it since it was at the cinema back in '81). I was well suprised to see Brother Jacobus was played by a young and ginger haired Ian McDiarmid.

Just prior to him getting BBQ'ed by the dragon I noticed some very Palpatine like script deliveries when he attempted to caste the dragon back into hell. ILM helped with the special effects also, so Mr Lucas is bound to have watched it, it also pre-dates his debut in Return of the Jedi by a couple of years too?

[–] LK_Fan 18 years ago

No, he got the part of the Emperor when Richard Marquand seen him playing Howard Hughes in some play.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] heckchap 18 years ago

Given Barwood and Robbins were contemporaries of Lucas from USC, I wouldn't be surprised if the original poster was right.

[–] danketch69 18 years ago

Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 with Ian Mc Diarmid, this came out in 1981. I dunno if that helps at all. (Remember the scene with Vader talking to the projection of Palpatine in his communication chamber)

[–] VIsraWratS 18 years ago

Palpatine was played by a woman in the original "Empire Strikes Back"

[–] daronimo 18 years ago

In the original version of "Empire" Ian McDiarmid was certainly not the Emperor or Palpatine if you prefer. It was performed by an unknown old woman who had her eyes optically replaced with a chimpanzee's to achieve the weird look and his voice was performed by Clive Revill.

[–] danketch69 18 years ago

I didn't know that, thank you for informing me.

"Is America ready for a black president? Why not, they already had aretarded one" - Chris Rock

[–] wormholeboy 11 years ago

You may have been confused because they digitally replaced the original TESB footage of the Palpatine actress with new footage of McDiarmid in the "special edition" release.

[–] darkzero 11 years ago

Those stupid special editions have screwed up so much and have caused unnecessary confusion to many.

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