10 Movie Characters Who Were Perfectly Cast (The Second Time)

7. Emperor Palpatine - Ian McDiarmid (Return Of The Jedi)

The Original

The Emperor's first appearance made him look like something of an after-thought. His hologram-only appearance in The Empire Strikes Back was played by Elaine Baker with chimpanzee eyes superimposed over hers. His voice was provided by British stage and screen actor Clive Revill.

It wasn't exactly a great look, but the minor status of the appearance gave it a pass. At least until George Lucas went back and edited the original footage out of his restored special editions and replaced them with the real McCoy...

Second Time's The Charm...

With Palpatine's role expanded after Empire... George Lucas cast Ian McDiarmid who somehow managed to look older in 1983 thanks to some impressive make-up than he does today.

There's no real competition: McDiarmid is excellent as Palpatine and as Darth Sidious across the entire franchise. He brings a pantomime menace that still manages to be scary. He's essentially Iago when young and a full-on Universal Monster when old and the fact that McDiarmid manages both is very impressive.