Park's Prowess Empowers Darth Maul

by Phillip Zonkel

LONDON - There was a great disturbance in the Force - the dark side had recruited a new apprentice.

"It was like the fear of God came over me," chuckles 24-year-old Ray Park, reminiscing about his shock after landing the role of Darth Maul, the newest Star Wars villain.

Park's major feature film debut finds him in the spotlight - big time. His character may turn out to be one of the most popular figures in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, opening Wednesday.

A Wushu champion (a martial art that involves leaps, somersaults and high kicks) who's been Kung Fu fighting since he was 7, Park has the athletic prowess necessary for the physically demanding part.

Word-of-mouth about his martial arts skills, including his initial film appearance in 1997's Mortal Kombat 2: Annihilation, brought Park to the attention of Episode I producer Rick McCallum and stunt coordinator Nick Gillard.

After viewing a three-minute audition fight with Park in full Maul garb and make-up and brandishing his double-bladed lightsaber, George Lucas knighted the Jedi wanna-be a Sith Dark Lord.

When Park got the call, "I was in the car and I was shaking. I had to (pull off to the side of the road). I didn't think I would get the part."

The soft-spoken London resident and Scottish native didn't get any lines, however. Maul's rough and growling voice is dubbed by British actor Peter Serafinowicz.

Park's fair skin and blue eyes didn't make it onscreen, either. He's clad in hooded black garb, and his face is concealed behind nightmarish features - a constellation of black and red facial markings, red and yellow tinted contacts, prosthetic yellow teeth and 10 miniature horns. Maul's full beauty make over required a daily, two-hour application.

"I was always in early, maybe the first person in. I'd fall asleep in the chair because I was tired from (rehearsing) the day before. I'd try not to snore too much or fidget," chuckles Park, who also had to endure shaving his head.

"At first, I lost my confidence a little," he says. "I'm used to having my hair, but now you have this bald thing on top. Then I got into it. It was easy and free; I didn't have to wash my hair. I just took a hot towel and (buffed) it to make it nice and shiny."

Easy? Free? Nice? All words that are stark contrasts to Maul's evil persona.

"He's nasty, and he's got no remorse, no compassion for anything. I couldn't imagine at first (how to play him) because it didn't seem real," Park says. "I always thought someone would say, 'We're only joking. You're not playing the character any more.'

"But getting into character was fun. It's like someone said, 'Here, let yourself go.' From my martial arts background, you have to have a certain arrogance about yourself because you can't be intimidated by other competitors. Maybe I have a bit of the Dark Side in me as well," he chuckles.

Stunt coordinator Gillard "told me what he wanted in the moves, but he also let me be very free in my movements and the flashier the better, which was part of Maul's arrogance. He can end with a flashy pose because he's the man, and he knows he's not going to make a mistake."

And Park says he made very few errors in battle scenes wielding his double-trouble lightsaber.

"I was used to handling weapons in my martial arts, but it was still hard work because we were rehearsing all day every day for two months before shooting, " he says. "It was fun, though. I couldn't wait to get in front of the camera and actually do it, make it more believable, more realistic."

Copyright 1999 USA Today. All rights reserved.

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