Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Cast Didn't Know Ian McDiarmid Played Two 'Different' Roles

There's a lot of bad in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace but people also tend to forget that there are actually good things in this movie. We have some great music from John Williams, a great battle scene near the end where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn took on Darth Maul and Ian McDiarmid as both Senator Palpatine and The Emperor.

While most Star Wars fans knew Palpatine was also The Emperor, it turns out the cast was kept in the dark about it. That's right, a some of the cast didn't know McDiarmid would be playing two "different" roles. Even McDiarmid didn't know they would be the same person until he was informed, which must have been fun for him.

Here is what McDiarmid told the crowd during Star Wars Celebration (via ComicBook.com):

"[Qui-Gon Jinn actor] Liam [Neeson] didn't know that I was playing both parts. A lot of people didn't.And then at the premiere, when we said hi again, he said ‘It was you, you bastard!' … I didn't know myself, I should say, until the first day. I thought they'd made a mistake, because I'm playing this senator. I don't know who this Sidious person is at all. To this day, no one has told me that they're the same person. I had to figure it out for myself."

Fans are probably finding this fairly entertaining since they can imagine George Lucas not telling them about the move. Does it make Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace a good movie? Let's not get hasty.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out this December.

Read: Anakin and the Emperor Reunite in Photo from SWCC 2019