Newly arrived on Coruscant, described as ' a giant city in space' by pilot Ric Olie, the Jedi and the Royal party disembark on a floating landing platform, flanked by arrived Royal Guards in the presence of a concerned Chancellor Valorum and Naboo representative Senator Palpatine. As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan report to Valorum on what happened with their secret dispatch to Naboo, Queen Amidala and her retinue, including an at first unsure where to go Anakin Skywalker, enter a transport that will take them to Palpatine's spacious political office/apartment block.
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| "The situation has become much more complicated." |
Specially requested to appear in EPISODE I by George Lucas, respected British actor Terence Stamp, best known to sci-fi/fantasy fans for playing the malignant General Zod in the early Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve, flew in to Leavesden Studios from Australia for four days work, barely knowing what his small role was about, and, apart from this one scene, of which practically the film's entire cast were assembled (on 2nd July, 1997), did most of his remaining work against blue screen for later senate chamber scenes, a scenario that Stamp ultimately found boring to do, especially as Natalie Portman, whom the actor was impressed with in The Professional, was having a well-deserved day off!
For the scene where the Jedi confer with Valorum, note the sly use by John Williams of several bars of his theme for Stamp's General Zod from the 1977 Superman film!
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| Stamp on set with Lucas and producer Rick McCallum in the background. |
"(Valorum) is the President of the Universe. Lucas said, "Well, he's a good man, but he's beleaguered- a bit like Bill Clinton."
"He (George Lucas) loves movies, and the child in him is unselfconsciously present, but he's very charming-he's just a guy doing what he loves to do and having a ball. I liked him."
Terence Stamp - Empire magazine interview - 1999
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