Interview: Charles Ross of One-Man Star Wars Trilogy

5:24pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

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ONE man's misspent youth is another's springboard to stardom. We spoke to Canadian actor Charles Ross who spent much of his childhood in a galaxy far, far away, watching Star Wars videos.

He's bringing his hilarious show, One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, to Blackpool Grand Theatre on Sunday, July 27.

When did you first become interested in Star Wars?
When I was a child I lived on a farm in Prince George, a northern part of Canada. We had long winters where it would drop down to maybe -40C and it was very cold for seven or eight months of the year. Because of that, you spent a lot of time indoors and we had no television reception, so you had to watch what you had on video on your VCR. We only had three movies: The Blue Lagoon starring Brooke Shields, Shogun and Star Wars — so nine times out of 10, I ended up watching Star Wars. A lot of times, it would just be on as background noise, and I would think that a lot of it has gone into my head through osmosis and become committed to my memory. And what do you do with that useless piece of information? That was something no one should do to themselves unless you intend to do something positive with it eventually – and so I have!

How did you come to turn your knowledge of Star Wars into a one-man show?
I’ve got a degree in theatre with an acting specialisation, but actors are often out of work, so I wanted to do my own one-man show to get a bit of autonomy in my career. One-Man Star Wars Trilogy started life as a comedy sketch, but then my director TJ Dawe and I turned it into a one-hour piece. It went down really well when I performed it at a fringe event in Toronto — and everything’s gone on from there.

How many times have you seen the Star Wars films now?
No idea, but I’ve probably seen the first film in the hundreds and the other two films in the Trilogy, probably less than 100. The new films I’ve seen maybe half a dozen times.

Which is your favourite character to perform?
The Emperor, because he’s such a rotten guy and Iain McDiarmid who played him is such a fantastic actor.

And which is the most difficult character?
Yoda, because the pitch of my voice is different to that of Frank Oz, who did his voice.

Has George Lucas seen your show?
Not to my knowledge, but I am officially licensed by LucasFilm – otherwise I wouldn’t be allowed to do the show — and I was hired to perform at the official fan conventions Celebration III and IV in the US and Celebration Europe in London, so I assume that the people whose opinion he trusts think it is something he would enjoy.

How far have you toured the show?
Everywhere from Canada and North America to the UK, Dubai and Australasia. I’ve even performed the show while backpacking around Turkey. There are Star Wars fans everywhere.

Do you have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy the show?
No, but it’s probably worth hiring the DVDs before you come to see it, because the better you know the films, the more you’ll enjoy it. If you haven’t seen the films at all, it will be a bit like watching a game of cricket when you don’t know the rules.

Do you have another “trilogy” show planned?
I have already created a one-man Lord Of The Rings Trilogy and I’m sure I’ll do another addition to this whole Star Wars thing at some point, although this time I’m definitely going to seek out the rights first! I’ve also already written my first draft of something which is much more autobiographical.

l To see One-Man Star Wars Trilogy call Blackpool Grand Theatre box office for tickets on 01253 290190.