STAR WARS Darth Maul Voice Actor Says George Lucas Called Him “The New James Earl Jones,” Then Paid Him “Such Sh*t Money”
When Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace hit theaters in 1999, Darth Maul instantly became one of the franchise’s most visually striking villains.
With his menacing appearance, double-bladed lightsaber, and unforgettable duel against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Sith warrior left a lasting mark on fans despite having very little dialogue.
While Ray Park physically portrayed Darth Maul on screen, the character’s voice came from Peter Serafinowicz, who recently reflected on the experience and shared a hilarious story about working with George Lucas.
Appearing on the Classic Clown podcast, Serafinowicz opened up about landing the role and admitted that he wasn’t exactly blown away by Darth Maul when he first encountered the character.
“It was weird. This character Darth Maul… I don’t know what I thought,” Serafinowicz said. “The design of it… I wasn’t that into it. When I saw the film it was the biggest disappointment of my life at that point. It really was.
“I mean, have you seen it? It was so exciting that even being in it .. doing this thing, what I thought would be this iconic thing. Just unimaginable.. I guess it sort of is [iconic]. I suppose.”
Of course, time has been kind to Darth Maul. While The Phantom Menace remains one of the franchise’s most debated films, Maul himself became a fan-favorite character whose popularity only grew through animation, comics, and later live-action appearances.
Serafinowicz also recalled a conversation with Lucas that left him both flattered and confused. “James Earl Jones has got the best voice of any human ever, right?” Serafinowicz continued.
“Then, 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, ‘F*cking hell, am I? Then why are you paying me such shit money, George?”
Although he voiced Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, Serafinowicz’s time with the character was relatively brief. Sam Witwer eventually took over the role for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where he expanded Maul into one of the saga’s most complex and compelling villains. Witwer recently reprised the character again in the Disney+ series Maul – Shadow Lord.
Even so, Serafinowicz remains an important part of Darth Maul’s history. He also returned to provide the character’s voice in Solo: A Star Wars Story, helping connect the live-action version of Maul to the fan-favorite animated stories that followed.
As for Serafinowicz, he’s now preparing to step into another beloved fantasy franchise. According to recent reports, he has joined HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television series as Peeves the Poltergeist, the mischievous Hogwarts troublemaker who became a fan-favorite in the books but was famously absent from the original film series.
It seems Serafinowicz has a knack for landing memorable genre roles. And while he may not have been paid like “the new James Earl Jones,” his Darth Maul performance remains part of Star Wars history all the same.