Tim Rose Reprises His Star Wars Role – Admiral Ackbar!

Admiral AckbarA while ago, we were able to exclusively report an image revealing that Admiral Ackbar would be appearing in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens – but that being said, we had no idea who would play the character. Those expecting there to be a trap in this case should take comfort in the recent confirmation that the original actor for Ackbar, Tim Rose, is returning for an extended cameo in the movie.

 

 

From The Australian:

 

Star Wars actor Tim Rose is frustrated at the amount of secrecy surrounding the latest addition to the famous franchise, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

 

ROSE, who played Admiral Ackbar in Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), reprises his role for the highly anticipated seventh movie but can reveal very little about his character or the film.

 

“I’m very frustrated by that,” Rose told AAP in Sydney. “Out of the need to be secret, we’re not actually able to get everything we need to do our jobs as well as we could, and as someone who has been doing it for 35 years, I find it very frustrating.”

 

Tim Rose

Rose also went on to express the trouble it is to get inside and subsequently operate the costume – although he found the actual experience of playing the character fun as a puppeteer. He noted that Original Trilogy fans will absolutely love the film and hinted that there are a few familiar faces (that we have not yet heard about) returning.

 

On another note, I think we can definitely share his disdain for the absurd level of secrecy surrounding the film. The good news is that some secrecy should be alleviated in the earlier half of October, when the next trailer is highly likely to hit early next month. A source has told us that it won’t be ready in time for The Martian. I personally believe that it will most likely arrive in time for Stephen Spielberg’s Bridge Of Spies, which Disney is distributing, though it may be released earlier than that (and I think they’ll tell us when they plan on releasing it as opposed to making it a surprise).

 

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

65 thoughts on “Tim Rose Reprises His Star Wars Role – Admiral Ackbar!

  • September 28, 2015 at 9:05 am
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    My bet is that they’re referring to the return of Fode & Beed when they say ‘a few familiar faces returning’.

    • September 28, 2015 at 11:56 am
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      Grand Mon Mothma FTW !

    • September 29, 2015 at 1:07 am
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      Oh yeah, those are my favorite characters in all 6 movies. I’ll never forget them and how much they contributed to the story.

  • September 28, 2015 at 10:24 am
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    What is he complaining about? How does a high level of secrecy keep him from doing his job? Anyone could play that part. If he doesn’t like it, almost anyone would be happy to take his place.

    • September 28, 2015 at 10:40 am
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      Dang, you must be the best actor in the world, I almost believed it.

    • September 29, 2015 at 2:06 am
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      Mark Hamill said many of the same things, but he was more tactful and was lucky enough to get a full script. The secrecy is ridiculous and many people in the movie have said so. But you’re such a tough guy. I’m sure you’re so tough you could convince him. Be tough. That always trumps logic.

  • September 28, 2015 at 10:47 am
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    He likely didn’t receive an entire script, just the pages with his lines. Without the context of what’s going on in the rest of the of movie, it’s much harder to give a good performance.

    • September 28, 2015 at 12:05 pm
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      That’s a good point actually. Not being an actor, that hadn’t occurred to me! Hopefully if he had any doubts, he asked the director for some guidance.

    • September 28, 2015 at 3:50 pm
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      Good performance? Hes saying some lines as a puppet. I wouldnt worry

      • September 29, 2015 at 1:47 am
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        Acting, puppetry, voice acting, etc. are all performance arts. People who get jobs in Hollywood movies are the best. They become the best and make their living by working hard and being prepared to do the best possible work for the camera. I have no idea how old you are or what you do for a living, but you don’t work for 35 years in TV, theater, and movies without treating every job with pride and dedication. If you were being sarcastic (or at least want to pretend you were), it wasn’t funny and had no point or insight. I’m sure you’re family is very proud of you. (Now that was sarcasm).

  • September 28, 2015 at 10:51 am
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    I can’t believe he missed the opportunity, when they told him of the secrecy, to yell “IT’S A TRAP!”

  • September 28, 2015 at 11:11 am
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    They must keep this guy on set at all times.
    “It’s a wrap!”

  • September 28, 2015 at 11:47 am
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    The sescrecy is driving absolutely everyone insane XD

    • September 28, 2015 at 12:04 pm
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      Not everyone 🙂 I kind of like the fact that despite all the news, rumors, and slow-release information drip-fed by JJ Abrams and Disney, I still know very little of the actual plot of the movie for certain. It feeds my excitement without ruining the movie! I think they’ve been quite clever in (so far) staying ahead of the people who feel it is their mission to reveal the whole movie, scene by scene, before it comes out.

      (Spoilers for Empire Strikes Back!) Imagine if you went and saw The Empire Strikes Back already knowing that Luke is trained by Yoda, has his hand cut off, and finds out Vader is his father. That Han is betrayed by Lando and ends the movie frozen in carbonite but doesn’t die. Or that the final shot of the movie sees Luke and Leia staring into space together, safe…that 3CPO survives the film, despite being blown to smithereens by stormtroopers halfway through. I don’t think the experience would have resonated so well with people. You’d still enjoy the movie, but you’d lose so much of the dramatic tension. Vader’s not so scary anymore if you know that Luke gets away relatively
      unscathed (with both hands back at the end of the movie).

      If The Force Awakens is amazing, I think we’ll all be glad that we went in with minimal knowledge, rather than knowing how it ends before it had even begun.

      • September 28, 2015 at 4:11 pm
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        agreed

      • September 28, 2015 at 4:21 pm
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        Mathew, I WAS that guy (or, more accurately, that kid) the first time I saw ESB back in 1980. I had already read the novel, which was released weeks before the movie came out, and I’d thoroughly digested the soundtrack album, which was also available a good bit before the film opened.

        Plus, we didn’t have a movie theater in my town at the time, so I had to wait for my parents to drive me to see the thing, which I think delayed my first viewing by a couple weeks or so.

        And you’re absolutely right. Though I loved ESB from the very beginning, I never got that first pure hit of it where everything was a shocker out of left field. And I’ve always regretted that. It was like snooping for my Christmas presents (which I did one year too!) and I’ve avoided doing so ever since then.

        So while I absolutely sympathize with the actors on TFA who have to deal with all of this insane secrecy surrounding the production, as a fan I’m very glad indeed that we still know so little about the film,

        • September 28, 2015 at 8:25 pm
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          It happened to me, only the vader reveal tho. Standing in line on opening day, waiting to go in, excited as a 7 year old gets hoped up on star wars and sweets, when a kid from my class at school comes out from the earlier showing and comes running up to me and goes “guess what, darth vader is luke’s dad!!!” I remember my initial reaction was thats no way true, but when it was revealed i must have been one of a few (bro and dad included who were in earshot) that didn’t gasp in the theatre. Still buzzed off it tho.

  • September 28, 2015 at 12:13 pm
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    Mid-October sounds about right for the trailer release.

    • September 28, 2015 at 1:28 pm
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      You do realize it won’t be released until the film is released, right? Like… it’ll be the final trailer in front of the film, before the film starts and we see “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”

      at least, by now, that’s how it feels

      • September 28, 2015 at 2:07 pm
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        J.J. publicly stated a few months back that the official trailer would be released in the fall. I’m sure the trailer will be worth the wait.

        • September 28, 2015 at 2:09 pm
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          Just to be “that guy”….December 18 is still in the fall.

          • September 28, 2015 at 2:22 pm
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            Being from the UK, we always associate Autumn as September to November. Had no idea that North America extend it into late December. Pedantry aside, the trailer will be released to coincide with advance ticket sales.

          • September 28, 2015 at 3:03 pm
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            We don’t. We view it the same, especially when the second teaser actually says “THIS CHRISTMAS”. But technically the first day of winter is not until Dec. 21st or something so there ya go. But yeah, it’s totally a winter holiday movie in spirit.

          • September 28, 2015 at 4:30 pm
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            Autumn starts on September 23 and ends on December 21 everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. There is no difference between the US and the UK in this respect.

          • September 28, 2015 at 5:12 pm
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            To be fair, that’s astronomical autumn. Meteorological autumn is September through November.

          • September 28, 2015 at 3:33 pm
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            Would have thought it was Winter myself, given that’s it’s 3 days short of the Winter Solstice/Midwinter. Even Meteorologists who don’t go along with the latter define Winter(in the N. Hemisphere) as December, January and February.

  • September 28, 2015 at 1:42 pm
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    THE REAL QUESTION! Is Erik Bauserfeld back to do his voice?! This is important, people!!

    • September 28, 2015 at 2:39 pm
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      He had better be. I note they used a different actor to voice Ackbar in one of the upcoming SW computer games.

      • September 28, 2015 at 6:53 pm
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        Keep in mind that Erik Bauersfeld is 93 years old and may not be in the best of health.

        • September 28, 2015 at 11:40 pm
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          Watched an interview with him about a year or so ago and for someone in his 90s, he’s in fantastic shape. Honestly, he looked better than some people in their 70s.

          • September 29, 2015 at 6:06 am
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            Christopher Lee pretty much acted till he was in the ground too. Plus voiceworks means he can literally phone it in.

  • September 28, 2015 at 2:44 pm
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    I wonder what he means by “Out of the need to be secret, we’re not actually able to get everything we need to do our jobs as well as we could,”.
    If he has any complaints, why not take them to the top to sort the situation out?

    • September 28, 2015 at 4:09 pm
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      probably just that he isnt allowed to see the whole story and maybe feels he cant act his scenes out in proper context with the overall story. maybe he feels his performance would be different if he knew all that was going on.

      • September 28, 2015 at 4:45 pm
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        Could be. But then we might find out when we see the movie that Ackbar is nothing more than a background character with minimal ( maybe no ) lines.

        • September 28, 2015 at 5:02 pm
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          yep possible. seems like their inferring he may have a little more substance, though. i see his point, but yeah i dont see his role so big where his performance would really be hindered by not knowing the whole story

        • September 28, 2015 at 6:44 pm
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          …or a RED herring? *rimshot*

        • September 28, 2015 at 8:03 pm
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          Wasn’t that what he always was?? He may be a fan-favorite but he is by no means a major character.

          • September 28, 2015 at 10:14 pm
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            I would say he was a minor character as opposed to a background character, but as a fan favourite I would LOVE it if he had a prominent role in Episode 7.

      • September 28, 2015 at 10:50 pm
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        Well, David Prowse didn’t know that Darth Vader was Luke’s father when they shot that scene, and he was able to act it just fine.
        Remeber that all Tim’s doing is the visuals. He’s not the voice of the character. The appropriate lines will be overlaid onto his scenes, like James Earl Jones’s lines were overlaid to David Prowse’s scenes.

        • September 29, 2015 at 9:22 pm
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          good points, true.

  • September 28, 2015 at 2:59 pm
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    I want the 3rd trailer! 🙂

  • September 28, 2015 at 3:52 pm
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    I am happy they have him coming back to me this means it’s going to be more than just a cameo he may have a large role in the movie otherwise they wouldn’t have to have the original actor come back if it was just a cameo. I would love to see Admiral Ackbar have a prominent role in this movie

  • September 28, 2015 at 4:01 pm
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    If the novel Aftermath is any indication, the inclusion of Ackbar means there will be lots of traps!

    • September 28, 2015 at 9:07 pm
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      Although that’s his famous quote, Admiral Ackbar is more than just a trap-alert. 🙂

      • September 28, 2015 at 9:24 pm
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        I 100% agree! My comment was a minor dig against Aftermath and it’s excessive use of the Ackbar/Trap trope.

        • September 28, 2015 at 9:28 pm
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          You find the trap trope trips you up totally?

        • September 28, 2015 at 10:45 pm
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          Full disclosure: I’ve done the Ackbar “It’s a trap!” quote too many times and on more occasions than I can count. I’m guilty too.

          Guilty since 1983, too.

  • September 28, 2015 at 4:24 pm
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    I think the new trailer will be shown with the premiere of Rebels on Oct. 14

    • September 28, 2015 at 6:37 pm
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      You think? Or you hope?

    • September 28, 2015 at 6:59 pm
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      I think it will either be then or a little later, like the 19th when tickets start going on sale.

      • September 28, 2015 at 10:45 pm
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        This theory is more plausible than the Rebels one, for sure. It makes sense to be like “Check out this shiny new trailer! Doesn’t it make you wanna buy a ticket~?”

        • September 28, 2015 at 11:21 pm
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          It’s the first thing I thought of when I saw they were selling tickets in October. The only reason you choose the 19th is because that’s the same day you plan on releasing the trailer, IMO.

  • September 28, 2015 at 6:44 pm
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    YES! I was worried he would have a silent cameo but the fact that they bothered to get the origional actor back means that he will most likely have a real speaking role, likely briefing Poe & Black Squadron on the weakness of Starkiller base

    • September 28, 2015 at 7:32 pm
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      He’s just the puppeteer, not the voice actor.

      • September 29, 2015 at 5:49 am
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        oh ok. A bit less exciting for me then. Still, talent is talent so its always good to get the gang back together

  • September 28, 2015 at 7:01 pm
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    I’m not all that upset… well actually not upset at all about the secrecy. I mean I feel like we know a lot. Almost the first 2 acts of the movie for crying out loud.

    Anyone know what he means by “we’re not actually able to get everything we need to do our jobs as well as we could”… because that could be slightly worrisome.

    Edit: I see this was asked before! My bad.

  • September 28, 2015 at 7:26 pm
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    We can’t repel secrecy of that magnitude!

  • September 28, 2015 at 9:14 pm
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    if they dont release the trailer in october then im gonna be pissed

    • September 28, 2015 at 10:11 pm
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      Already pissed………………………..

  • September 28, 2015 at 10:42 pm
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    IT’s A TRAP!

  • September 29, 2015 at 12:32 am
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    It’s a MAP!!

  • September 29, 2015 at 3:53 am
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    Has any other movie been done like this in terms of everyone working in day tight compartments? I’m fine with it but it does concern me some only because (as Tim Rose intimated) actors may not know how to channel certain emotions of actors or aspects of the plot for that matter if they don’t know the full script. Hopefully it will all work but I hope when I finally get to see the movie, there’s no feeling of disconnect with scenes and characters.

  • September 29, 2015 at 7:06 pm
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    Maybe they didn’t tell him anything because he’s a guy Doing a job that pretty much any actor could do. He should be grateful for getting the job. And anyone involved with the film who says there’s too much secrecy is exactly the person who should be kept in the dark.

  • September 29, 2015 at 7:08 pm
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    Personally I hope there’s no trailer. If the script leaked I’d read it. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. The more secret the better.

    • September 29, 2015 at 9:11 pm
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      i know what ya mean, we’re so close now, and ive seen enough, i could hold out to december….but….i sure as hell wont be able to resist the trailer or other spoilery stuff. argh..

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