The Emperor Arrives

Host Krystina Arielle welcomes “the Emperor himself,” Ian McDiarmid, to the Star Wars Celebration LIVE! stage [00:15]. Arielle jokes that while they would usually extend the courtesy of letting him shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips, they had to skip that part for this appearance. McDiarmid sits down to roaring applause, and Arielle tells him, “I see you don’t just rule the Empire and the entire galaxy you rule this entire room and the stage” [01:02].

Running the Gamut of Ages

Arielle notes that the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi is being celebrated, asking McDiarmid if he ever thought he would still be playing Emperor Sheev Palpatine four decades later. McDiarmid dryly responds, “I didn’t think I’d be alive 40 years on” [01:40]. He reflects on the strange timeline of his character, noting that he was 37 when cast to play a 120-year-old, then went backward to play his own age, and finally went forward again to a “reconstituted age” in the most recent film, concluding that he has truly “run the gamut” of Palpatine’s life [01:56].

The Favorite Palpatine

When asked if he has a favorite version of the character, McDiarmid says he usually points to Revenge of the Sith, largely because he just likes the sound of the word “Sith” [02:42]. However, he also enjoyed his surprise return in The Rise of Skywalker, recalling the experience of being “reconstituted” and swung around a giant studio on a crane manipulated by four highly skilled people [03:00].

Drawing Inspiration

Arielle points out that while some say Palpatine has no redeeming qualities, others think he’s the best boss in the universe. She asks how he approaches playing someone so wonderfully evil [03:34]. McDiarmid cheekily responds, “Well I use my own unredeeming qualities” [03:51]. He adds that there are plenty of people around who exhibit Palpatine’s traits, so he borrows from them now and again. When Arielle presses him to name names, he swiftly declines [04:14].

A Morning Stroll in Central Park

Asked about his favorite fan interaction over the years, McDiarmid recalls walking through Central Park in New York with a friend while doing a play [04:48]. A fan called out, “Hey hi, good morning Senator!” McDiarmid replied without missing a beat, “I think you mean Supreme Chancellor,” joking to the audience that the fan was “just a little behind” [05:08].

Unwinding on the Death Star

Arielle asks a “personal Palpatine question,” wondering how Sheev unwinds after a long day on the Death Star, noting that Snoke at least had nice golden slippers [06:40]. McDiarmid speculates that the Emperor sits down with a glass of blood and “watches endless reruns of himself on Disney+” [06:52].

A Masterclass in Evil

Before concluding, Arielle asks McDiarmid to teach the audience his lightning finger pose and his perfect evil cackle [07:48]. McDiarmid shuts down the lightning request, citing the need to “cut back on electricity” [08:16]. However, he agrees to lead the crowd in the laugh, warning them, “don’t try it at home you’ll have a throat operation afterwards” [08:30]. He advises that the key is not to think of it as laughing, but just as “something,” before delivering a chilling, perfect cackle for the crowd [08:40]. He then leads the audience in a massive, collective evil laugh on the count of three [09:11].