“I thought about our people who died, their people who died”: Star Wars Director Lost His Mind After a War Veteran Refused to Do a Scene in Return Of The Jedi

The Star Wars franchise has come a long way from just being another fantasy world filled with fictional characters set in fictional lands. It is a world of fiction yet one that has deep emotional themes of friendship, love, hope, courage, and more. A fictional world yet deeply rooted in reality, there are several memorable events that fans have come to deeply resonate with.

While most such scenes can be attributed to the writers or directors, some scenes came to life thanks to the artistic creativity and emotional understanding of the actors. One scene, in particular, involving Tom Rose’s Admiral Ackbar in The Return of the Jedi happened because the actor refused to have the director have his way, which led to Richard Marquand losing his cool.

When Tim Rose Refused to Film One Star Wars Scene

The Star Wars franchise is an epic amalgamation of several themes and emotions. While one scene might make you cry, some others will make you laugh like there’s no tomorrow. It is this very resemblance of the franchise with real life that fans have come to love and appreciate the most.

During the ending scenes of the Return of the Jedi, fans can deeply feel how the Rebels would be feeling after their victory over the Empire and the destruction of the second Death Star. Yet they can also related to Tim Rose’s Admiral Ackbar as he slumps down in his chair feeling a range of different emotions, from from relief and exhaustion to a poignant sense of loss.

According to Rose, the director Richard Marquand had asked him to celebrate the victory by dancing around. In an interview with Jamie Stangroom, he revealed.

Ackbar’s last moment in Return of the Jedi, we’d won the battle against the Death Star. The director Richard Marquand came round and said, ‘I want you all to stand up and dance around and celebrate because we’ve won the battle’.

However, Rose understanding the grief and feelings of his character, understood what the Admiral might be going through. Although the victory was monumental Rose understood how he must be feeling given the heavy cost they had paid to achieve it and this refused to film what the director wanted.

His refusal made the director pretty angry, but Tim Rose stood his ground till the end.

Tom Rose’s Refusal to Film One Star Wars Scene Made Richard Marquand Very Angry

Tim Rose almost got drafted for Vietnam and the experience made him understand and see war in a different light than others. Hence at the end of Return of the Jedi, when he as Admiral Ackbar was asked to pounce around and celebrate the victory, he could not, knowing his character was suffering despite the much-needed win.

I was at the stage where I came within 200 numbers of being drafted for Vietnam. So I had very strong views about war at the time… So in Akbar’s last scene they put the camera on him… I thought about our people who died, their people who died and the weight of it sunk me down in the chair.

However, the director Richard Marquand did not relate to his feelings and became agitated over Rose’s refusal to film the scene as he wanted (via Jamie Stangroom).

And he (the director) got really angry and he said, ‘Right,we’re gonna do this again and this time you get up and dance around.

But Tim Rose boldly held his ground and refused to film the scene even if it meant he might be kicked out of the movie. And so his scene was left in, which generated an even greater impact than the scene that the director wanted.

Admiral Ackbar’s weary posture and contemplative expression perfectly capture the bittersweet reality of war, reminding the audiences that even in moments of great victory, the sacrifices made and the lives lost weigh heavily on the hearts of those who survived.

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi can be streamed on Disney+.