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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
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  4. Star Wars Movies
  5. Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

Darth Maul voice actor "wasn't into" the character's design and says seeing The Phantom Menace "was the biggest disappointment" of his life

News
By Bradley Russell
Published 19 June 2026

Peter Serafinowicz didn't have a good time on Star Wars: Episode 1

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Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
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It's time to discuss the Star Wars prequels like it's 1999.

Speaking on the Class Clown podcast (H/T Variety), Peter Serafinowicz – who voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace – recalled his displeasure with the experience.

"The design of it… I wasn't that into it," Serafinowicz said of Maul's Dathomir look. "When I saw the film, it was the biggest disappointment of my life at that point. It really was."

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Serafinowicz, who was replaced as the voice of Maul by Sam Witwer in future projcets, even revealed how Star Wars creator George Lucas compared him to Darth Vader's voice actor, James Earl Jones. It didn't seem to go down that well.

"Suddenly there I was with George Lucas, and he was like saying, 'Well, Peter, you're the new James Earl Jones,' and I was like, 'Fucking hell, am I? Then why are you paying me such shit money, George?'"

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  • Darth Vader lit red by his lightsaber in Maul – Shadow Lord Dave Filoni perfectly explains why Darth Vader doesn't speak in the Maul – Shadow Lord finale
  • Maul (Sam Witwer) in a hood, using the force, with his dual lightsaber drawn in Maul – Shadow Lord Maul – Shadow Lord episode 8 doesn't stick exactly to canon, but star Sam Witwer says it was done with intention

Whatever Serafinowicz's opinion, it can't be doubted that Darth Maul emerged from the prequels as one of its most iconic aspects. The twin-blade lightsaber-wielding Sith went on to play a key role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars before starring in his own Disney Plus animated series, Maul – Shadow Lord.

Recently, fellow Star Wars villain actor Ian McDiarmid has revealed that Lucas once had plans for a Palpatine TV show, seemingly charting his life from Chancellor to Emperor. But that's not a story Disney will tell you.

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For more from a galaxy far, far away, check out the upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.

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Disney Lucasfilm
Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
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Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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