John Lithgow’s Surprising Role as Yoda You Never Knew About!

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For over four decades, the Star Wars galaxy has showcased a remarkable assortment of gifted actors. Pioneers like Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford introduced us to this universe with A New Hope in 1977. Over time, legends such as Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Samuel L. Jackson, and numerous others have ventured to this distant galaxy for different chapters within the sprawling saga. Yet, one actor you may not recall graced Star Wars is John Lithgow. Remarkably, he joined the Star Wars universe by portraying none other than Master Yoda.

In an interview with Collider, Lithgow reminisced about his short stint portraying Yoda in the Star Wars universe. Notably, Lithgow lent his voice to Yoda during the radio adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back. “At that time,” Lithgow started, “I was performing in a play on Broadway, directed by John Madden, who later rose to prominence as a film director, notably directing Geoffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love.” Madden was directing me in Beyond Therapy on Broadway, but he was also a highly successful radio director at the time and was hired for the radio production of The Empire Strikes Back.

Frank Oz is predominantly known for portraying Yoda in the Star Wars universe, but there were conditions regarding his vocal performance for radio broadcasts. As Lithgow explained, “Frank Oz opted out of playing Yoda because he was quite strict about only using his voice when he operated a puppet,” during their lunch conversation, Madden mentioned this point.

One day over lunch during a rehearsal break, John complained that he couldn’t find a Yoda figure, and I replied, “It seems he’s quite impatient, isn’t he?” And that’s how I landed the role! For years, I had been watching Sesame Street with my children, featuring Grover and Frank Oz, who would run up to the camera and say, “Now I am getting closer. Now I am getting further.

So… What Is the Current State of ‘Star Wars’?

It’s reasonable to assume that the Star Wars franchise isn’t experiencing the same level of success it had when The Empire Strikes Back was released, a movie often considered the best in the series. Since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, there have been no more theatrical releases from the franchise. Instead, the focus has shifted towards streaming content, with shows such as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ashoka, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew being produced for online platforms.

In the time period of “Star Wars,” whether it’s the future or past, there are several upcoming films in development. Jon Favreau is set to bring “The Mandalorian” back on the big screen with the forthcoming “The Mandalorian and Grogu” feature film. Furthermore, Shawn Levy and James Mangold are also working on new “Star Wars” movies. Details about Levy’s movie starring Ryan Gosling have been kept secret, but Mangold has shared some intriguing details about his upcoming project with MovieWeb.

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2025-03-06 21:40