Star Wars is a franchise that's never been lacking in memorable villains. From the menacing Darth Vader to the repugnant Jabba the Hutt, the ruthless Boba Fett and the sinister Emperor Palpatine, there's no shortage of baddies.
However, when The Phantom Menace, the first instalment of the prequel trilogy, hit screens in 1999, audiences were introduced to a new face of evil. Darth Maul, with his red and black facial markings and horned head, not to mention his iconic double-bladed lightsaber, was a terrifying addition to the Star Wars universe.
The man behind this fearsome character was Scottish actor Ray Park. Prior to landing this breakthrough role, Park had competed in martial arts tournaments and represented Britain on the national wushu team.
He also had experience as a stunt double, including work on 1997's Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and even served as Christopher Walken's body double in 1999's Sleepy Hollow.
Park brought some personal touches to the role of Darth Maul. Sharp-eyed fans may notice that Maul only blinks once throughout his entire screen time in The Phantom Menace, reports the Irish Star.
This chilling detail was reportedly due to the discomfort caused by the red and yellow contact lenses Park had to wear for the role. Additionally, Maul sports a piercing in his upper left ear - apparently because Park forgot to remove his own piercing before heading into makeup.
However, this wasn't his only notable film role. Following his appearance in The Phantom Menace, Ray played the acrobatic mutant Toad, a sidekick to the villainous Magneto, in the first X-Men film.
In a nod to his Star Wars role, his character wielded an iron bar in a manner reminiscent of his iconic lightsaber.
The memorable duel in The Phantom Menace, which resulted in the demise of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul's apparent death at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, is widely regarded as one of the top fight scenes in the franchise, owing in part to Ray's agile movements. He showcased his physical abilities as Toad and later as the silent assassin Snake Eyes in the 2009 and 2013 G.I. Joe films.
Although Darth Maul seemingly met his end in The Phantom Menace, subsequent animated series revealed that he survived, acquired robotic legs, and embarked on a relentless pursuit of revenge against Kenobi.
When Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise in 2012 and announced plans for a new series of films, Ray expressed interest in reprising his role. In a 2013 interview with cinemovie.tv, he stated: "I was excited about the possibility of the new Star Wars, but I didn't once think about me coming back."
Ray Park expressed his enthusiasm for reprising his role as Darth Maul, stating: "Talking to everybody, now I'm getting excited. I'm practicing my two-sided lightsabers in hopes that I [will] be asked. I would love to do it. I would love to come back as Maul and take the top off and do the whole tattoo body and robot legs. It [would] be fun."
His wish was granted in 2018 when he made a surprise return as Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In an interview with Forbes, Park recalled the moment he was approached by Lucasfilm's Lynne Hale: "I got the phone call from Lynne Hale from Lucasfilm. And it was really nice of her, because she said to me 'Ray, we're just calling to see if you would like to do it.' And I went 'Yeah. Do you want me on the plane now?'".
Additionally, in 2020, Park performed motion capture for a fight scene featuring Maul in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which received a positive response from fans.
In a behind-the-scenes video, the show's creator, Dave Filoni, explained: "I wanted this fight to be big, and it got me thinking - and I've known Ray for a while - but why don't we bring Ray in and do some motion capture? He could be Maul one more time, physically fighting."
During a rehearsal session, Park expressed his excitement about playing Darth Maul again: "It's amazing to play Darth Maul again. We've just been hitting it hard, coming up with some new stuff. It's been really nice, we're trying to do as much as we can - butterfly twists and flips and corkscrews, it'll be fun."
Ray Park, known for his role as Toad in the X-Men series, did not return to the character in later films, including appearances in "Deadpool" and "Wolverine."
However, he's keen on revisiting another iconic role. Speaking to Forbes, he expressed a desire to don the mask of Snake Eyes once more from the G.I. Joe series.
"I'm in a different state in my life now then I was before," he explained. "I'm a lot fitter, I'm older, I'm wiser I think, and I'd like to bring that to Snake Eyes."
He also mentioned his original contract, saying, "I was signed on for three movies, and I would like to do the third one. I'd like to finish it."
