For Return of the Jedi, Ian McDiarmid drew on his years of stage experience to create Emperor Palpatine’s unforgettable voice.
Inspired by a Japanese theatrical vocal technique that projects sound from the stomach rather than the throat, he developed the character’s eerie, guttural croak.
George Lucas was so impressed by the performance that he kept the voice exactly as McDiarmid delivered it, helping to create one of the most distinctive and chilling villains in cinema history.