Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is a film full of epic moments. One of the best scenes is the opening battle scene where Chancellor Palpatine manipulates Anakin Skywalker into killing Count Dooku during the Battle of Coruscant.
In the scene where Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) instructs Anakin (Hayden Christensen) to cut off Count Dooku’s (Christopher Lee) head, he delivers some famous lines in a dramatic manner. This intensifies the scene even further. However, the scene could have almost appeared entirely different from what it is today.
Ian McDiarmid’s Clash Could Have Almost Threatened Iconic Star Wars Scene
The opening battle scene in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith could have become completely different because Ian McDiarmid wasn’t completely confident about George Lucas‘ decisions for the Mace Windu sequence.
The star wanted to tone it down a little bit. Speaking with Empire for the 25th anniversary of the Star Wars prequels, the 79-year-old said:
“George 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.”
While there’s no doubt that McDiarmid could have portrayed Palpatine’s moment with quiet rage, Lucas chose to go overboard—a decision that aligns with the narrative. Therefore, it makes sense for Palpatine to be portrayed as completely unhinged.
Ian McDiarmid Isn’t the Only Star Wars Actor George Lucas Disagreed With Over a Scene
It’s true that George Lucas didn’t always agree with actors on certain scenes. Even Hayden Christensen also had a disagreement with him for the same.
The concept of Anakin’s eyes turning Sith-like when he embraces the dark side wasn’t part of the original plan, and this is the idea which was initially rejected by the director.
Christensen and Lucas argued about giving Anakin yellow, bloodshot eyes to set him apart from the Jedi before he wore his famous armor.
In an interview with Empire, the actor talked about how they debated over Anakin’s Sith eyes. He suggested making Anakin’s eyes like Darth Sidious and Darth Maul’s yellow eyes. This detail would show Anakin’s transformation clearly, matching the Sith’s appearance in the prequel films.
Christensen told Lucas about the idea, proposing that Anakin’s eyes change with his new name. He thought the change would fit between Maul and Sidious, but the director didn’t agree.
Fortunately, the filmmaking process allows for changes, so they ended up adding the yellow eyes to represent Anakin becoming Vader.
Watch Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith on Disney+.
