Original Star Wars Darth Maul Voice Actor Reveals His Reaction To Being Called “The New James Earl Jones”

Darth Maul’s voice actor from Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace had an incredulous reaction when he was told he was “the new James Earl Jones.”

Although Ray Park physically portrayed Maul in the first of the Star Wars prequels, Peter Serafinowicz provided his speaking voice. It was his first feature film, having kicked off his voice acting career in British TV shows like Spitting Image, Look and Read, and Alexei Sayle’s Merry-Go-Round. However, Serafinowicz was surprised for a specific reason when he was compared to Jones, i.e. Darth Vader’s voice actor, by director George Lucas.

While being interviewed on the Classic Clown podcast, the actor described The Phantom Menace as being “the biggest disappointment of my life at that point.” Prior to its release, Serafinowicz “wasn’t into” the character’s design, and these days, he finds it “a really weird thing” to be associated with Maul since he barely speaks in the movie. He also said:

James Earl Jones has got the best voice of any human ever, right? Then, suddenly there I was with George Lucas, and he was 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?’

Unlike Jones’ decades-long tenure as Vader across movies and television, Serafinowicz’s time as Maul ended up being a one-and-done affair. Although he was brought back for Solo: A Star Wars Story like Park, Serafinowicz’s line readings were ultimately not used. Instead, it was decided to have Sam Witwer, who’s been consistently voicing Maul since Star Wars: The Clone Wars, be heard instead in the scene where Maul commands Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra to meet him on Dathomir.

Though Serafinowicz didn’t have a great experience working in the Star Wars universe, he has left his mark on other franchises and properties in the years since The Phantom Menace’s release. Such credits include Guardians of the Galaxy, John Wick: Chapter 2, DC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger, the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, and the Prime Video TV show The Tick, where he played the titular superhero. Additionally, it was announced this week that Serafinowicz will portray Peeves in HBO’s Harry Potter TV show.

Despite Maul being sliced in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi towards the end of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, it was revealed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that he survived and was now walking around on mechanical legs. Darth Sidious’ former apprentice recurred in seasons 4, 5, and 7, and was also a supporting antagonist in the middle two seasons of Star Wars Rebels. Maul’s time on that show concluded in “Twin Suns,” which depicted his permanent demise by Kenobi’s blade on Tatooine.

Earlier this year, Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord premiered on Disney+, depicting Maul rebuilding his criminal syndicate a year after the end of the Clone Wars. Shadow Lord season 2 is in development, though there’s no timetable on when it will premiere. Serafinowicz can currently be seen hosting the Netflix reality game show Million Dollar Secret.