I'm Ross Beadman. The actor who played the Jedi youngling in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith who spoke to and was killed by Anakin Skywalker! Ask me anything...

Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?

No, I don't think its a story the Jedi ever told me to be honest

Would you reprise your role if given the opportunity?

Absolutely. Having this role in Star Wars has positively impacted my life in multiple areas so I can imagine it would just add to that!

Did the role make you popular in school? i've always wondered how people who play certain roles as kids are treated when they are in school

Yes and no. It was annoying as I was known as the Star Wars kid rather than a guy that just happened to be in Star Wars and there was teasing etc. Overall though, I think it gave my popularity a boost because people liked the movie in general.

How does it feel knowing that there is a widespread online community that frequently takes great pleasure and amusement in watching you be murdered in cold blood as a young child by Hayden Christensen in a bathrobe?

It feels good and worrying as it's keeping the memory of my character alive...in a pretty sick way though

There are too many of them, what are we going to do?

Literally too many questions

Answer them... Answer them all! Not just the main questions, but the memers and the fangirls too!

;)

What is it like to be a meme?

It's actually great. At first it was a little annoying seeing myself tagged everywhere but it's the only reason why I've got some semblance of relevance now lol. God bless the memes!

Had Order 66 not happened, which Jedi Master would you have wanted to train Sors?

Definitely Mace Windu, I find his combat style and the way that he uses the force similar to what i'd like to be as a force user.

What was it like as a kid? Being told you would be on Star Wars? ^{Then realising you got killed off...}

Also, what's a recent project you've worked on?

It was indescribable really. I was a fan of it but it didn't really hit me until I entered the set and saw the premiere.

With films, Star Wars was the last that I acted in and I acted in a couple of other productions too: One as a german survivor of the Hindenburg disaster in a National Geographic documentary, and the other as a child version of the main character of BBC comedy 'My Life in Film'.

Now I'm a freelance video producer and graphic designer.

What was the first thing George said to you? Ever.

Something like "Ok so stand there".

When Revenge of the Sith was filmed, did you realize the gravity of the scene you were a part of and Anakin’s murder of children? Also, when did you first see Revenge of the Sith, and what did you think of it and of your part in it?

Not at all. When I just finished seeing the premiere I thought it was an off-the-cuff decision to keep me in...I didn't even expect to be put into the film at all.

Only with the recognition it's gained recently have I began to see its importance as well.

What was with the little tumble back you did? It looks like a sort of accidental twitch that they liked so they went with the take but i'm wondering how much of that was what George asked for

From what I remember Hayden shouted "boo!" and that startled me to add to my fear in the scene

You were pretty young when the movie was shot, what do you remember most about being on set?

I remember getting a tour of the studios in a golf cart and seeing the actor who played Shaak TI (in costume) smoking the most. The highlight was definitely meeting Ewan McGregor, I spoke to him for 10 minutes and he was a super friendly guy. I had champagne with him lol.

I had to reread this cuz I thought you had champagne with him as a kid. I was immediately like "there is a disturbance in the force"

I had and drank a glass of champagne

You've obviously recovered from dying so that's good. Any plans to enact your revenge on what may remain of the sith in a post the Rise of Skywalker world? Or has your anger pushed you to join the dark side and fight along side the ones you once swore to destroy?

Neither. Revenge for it's own sake is useless (with the exception of Anakin) and I'd rather put my efforts into furthering my own goals and the goals of those who align with my vision. I'll stay away from the whims of the Jedi and the Sith. Both are corrupt in my eyes.

Did you get to keep your costume?

No! One of my regrets is that I didn't 'borrow' something from the set hahaha. Oh well.

Did you know you're in a fan made Beat Saber level?

Nooooo?!

How much fun was filming?

The filming was quite nerve-racking as it took me 4 takes to get it right. I only got the part too because I put my hand up first when the casting director asked us "who knows the line then?"

I didn't make any friends on the day but that was probably for the best as they were talking amongst themselves.

Have you ever talked to the other PT cast members outside of shooting, and if so how are they as people?

With the exception of Hayden Christensen at Comic-Con 14 years later no, unfortunately. Would love to see how the other kids got on.

What is the strangest thing you saw when filming the murder scene?

I wasn't filmed in any separate murder scene but the green screen background and the non-lit lightsaber handle confused me at first. Seeing people in their alien costumes smoking was definitely weird though.

Pre-Mustafar Darth Vader looked really badass and I wish we had more screentime with this iconic incarnation. You are one of the few actors to share the screen with him. How crushed did you feel when your epic confrontation and highly choreographed battle did not make it to the final cut?

Ahahaha I was gutted. All of my own stunts and double backflips were taken out of the film! Such a waste...

Hey Ross it’s been a pleasure getting to know you the last couple days. My question is: What is your favorite Star Wars film and why?

It's the attack of the clones purely for the awesome arena scene. Like I said I'm a simple man and like seeing exotic animals fight Jedi to the death haha.

2nd place - Return of the Jedi

3rd - Revenge of the Sith

Did Sors survive order 66 and Anakin or was he murdered? Does the script definitively say yes or no?

The script doesn't mention anything after that I think. So no to anything definite.

So you're saying there's a chance Sors grew up?

There is definitely a chance

Was your character named in the original script? Or was that something that came later from the keepers of Star Wars lore? (Leland Chee?)

It came months later after filming in an email so I assume no. It's an anagram of my name that I think they worked on after.

Being a character in star wars must've been a big deal, were you given tickets to see the movie, or any form of thank you besides money?

Aside from a small-ish amount of money for the role (£90 total). I was given tickets to see the premiere with my family.

Wow, I thought it may have been more, but I guess it was a small role, even if it is star wars. That's cool that you got to watch the premiere though!

Yeah, being in it is payment enough and I'm making more from autograph sales anyway: https://www.sorsautos.com/

My, what did you do with that 90 quid?

I bought a lot of haribo!

What were your thoughts when you got cast in the film, as a character that'd be killed off in their first/second appearance?

I didn't know that I'd get killed off until after I saw the premiere. Even then my parents told me that I survived to spare my feelings but my friends at school told me that I died after the film was released. I got over it after a few months ahaha.

What was it like before you got over it?

Kind of painful. Instead of congratulating or giving me props for being in the film, they'd make fun of my death instead.

Did you do your line on the first take? Was it getting out of hand as there were two of them?

It took me four takes. My line was on point but I'd make some weird facial expressions sometimes that they would have to cut lol.

Will you come back more powerful since you were struck down?

Yes, definitely.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and it's not how hard you hit. It's about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward" - Mahatma Gandhi (2014)

How are you still alive if he killed you? are those jedi powers?

They're definitely powers, but Jedi?.. I'm gonna have to pass on that ;)

Would some consider them to be... unnatural?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What do you think about sand?

I think it's alright, don't tell Anakin though...

Were there any members of the cast you were closest with while filming? Any funny stories from the set?

I was closest with Ewan McGregor as me and my mum spoke to him the most even if it was for 10 minutes. My mum pointed him out to me and I didn't recognise him at first until she said: Ross..it's Obi-Wan!". Then he said hello to us and we shared champagne with him. Definitely my biggest highlight!

I would ask if you were too young for champagne...but I guess if you get diced by a lightsaber you might as well have a buzz going.

ly

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I guess worse things have been done in the industry

What was your first thought when you saw people did fun of a (supposed) sad moment in the movie?

Thoughts on Obi-Wan?

When I was young it kind of hurt me emotionally that people laughed at my death but I can definitely accept that and roll with the meme now. Especially as I'm going to conventions and making some money from it.

Plus...it's actually quite funny lol

Is there a secret deleted scene of Hayden hitting all of the younglings with his lightsaber?

Yes, it's on the dark web though.

People might have asked you this already, but how does it feel to be a part of one of the greatest prequel memes of all time?

Pretty good tbh, it's given me a small dose of fame, attention, money and it's immortalized me in film.

Most of the time though I feel normal though and it's not something I think about that regularly.

What are your "head canons" or unofficial beliefs about what happened that day? Like for example it's not confirmed by George Lucas, just your fan theory.

I believe that I somehow hid in an air vent in the Jedi temple and later was taken in by the grey Jedi order on a separate planet.

Of course I didn't die in my own head cannon :D

Do you think calling Anakin "master" triggered him, and he wouldn't have murdered you (off-screen) if you hadn't said that?

Yeah, I think that made him sad and that sadness turned into even more rage as he was only called master once he brought that kind of destruction to the Jedi.

I don't think it would have made one shred of a difference either he was determined to save Padme.

Would you let your kid, if you have any, be in your role knowing what you know now?

Yeah, i'd definitely encourage him/her to have a similar or bigger role but I'd tell them that they should expect a lot of positive and negative responses.

Did you ever talk with George Lucas or Hayden Christensen? If so what was it like?

I talked to Hayden and he was very warm and chill to speak to. He asked me if I had any questions for him and I asked "what's more dangerous, an adult's lightsaber or a kid's lightsaber?"

Did you know what the scene was actually about or did the filmmakers keep you in the dark about the true nature?

They definitely kept us in the dark. All we were told was that we'd meet Anakin in the council chamber.

Considering how young you were in that role, is it still a big part of your life? How often in your daily life does being murdered by lightsaber come up?

It's something I have to focus on weekly as I'm running a small side gig selling autographs and talk with the community from time to time. It's definitely helped me financially during these lockdown periods and going to conventions have been amazing.

Here's the link: https://www.sorsautos.com/

You seem well adjusted for a child star on such a huge film, then turned meme.

What would you attribute that to?

Remember looks can be deceptive but I think I turned out ok, I still have creases but I think having a not-so prominent part helped me to not be destroyed by ego, fame, the party lifestyle or money etc.

My parents are also decent people so that helped.

Who was your reaction seeing all those actors on set?

It was like opening up your presents on Christmas morning x2 as you're meeting multiple people you've seen in films you're a fan of. I was nervous while speaking to Ewan McGregor and Hayden too.

Did you put up a fight against anakin?

Some sort of a fight yeah

How did you and all your friends get into the council chamber?

​

And also it was like a 12 on 1, why didn't you guys gang up on him?

We thought he was there to save us we were paralysed and shocked

Have you watched clone wars?

No but I'll start tonight!

Whats the best trilogy in your opinion?

I think the originals are the best but the prequels follow closely in 2nd place.

Aww, you told me it would start in 20 minutes :(. Anyways...

Two questions:

1. What was it like on set? Obviously you were pretty young but what was the atmosphere like?
2. Did you keep in touch with the other cast members? Hayden in particular?

1. It was a very busy atmosphere at Shepperton Studios and reminded me of a carnival/school with all the separate actors going their own way. It was mostly friendly and at first, I and a group of kids were put in the same room until we had to get individually made up.
2. I only met Hayden once after filming at comic con. The only people from Star Wars I keep in touch with are people i've met at other conventions, mainly David Stone (played an x-wing pilot in a New Hope).

How many days were you actually filming? Did you get to keep the costume? Have you done much acting since, or just the once? Cheers!

It was only one day of filming and I didn't get to keep the costumes :/ I have done other stuff though check out my IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7825320/

Do you think you'll ever do any more acting? It must be hard to get more roles after Anakin chopped off your legs.

No, but I'm definitely open to being in roles as a limbless child if they're offered

Would you wany to play or starr in one of my movies? I'm a actor and beginner director and would love to work with you if that's possible. :)

Sure man, get me on Instagram @ beadmanross

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Just shoot me a message :)

How often do you get recognized in public for playing The Youngling?

Outside of my local area, my circle of friends/acquantances and the Star Wars conventions I go to..zero times lol.

Do you wish Sors Bandeam appeared in the Clone Wars TV series?

Yessir!

At the time did you understand what was about to happen to your character?

No, not at all.

How much of a Star Wars fan are you?

On the fan scale i'm a solid 7/10. I like the lore and like the orginals/prequels a lot. But I don't like the sequels apart from The Force Awakens. I love The Mandalorian though.

How did you get the role and why? Did you even know what movie you were in when you were doing that part? Did you even know what Star Wars was?How do you feel about that scene and the prequels? Do you think you did a good job? Also how did you do the movement when you stepped back after Anakin ignited the lightsaber? I think Lucas or someone said how you did thst movement it was really good acting.

A mixture of nepotism and luck. My mum used to work with someone that then went on to work in a casting agency for kids. One day my mum then gets an email asking if i'd like to be in Star Wars and the rest is history.

I only got the speaking role because I put my hand up when the casting director asked "who knows the line"? Because the other kids were chatting and not listening to him, being a loner got me the role as I answered first!

What's the one thing you always wanted people to know about you but they never asked because the conversation always revolved around Star Wars?

Great Question! I don't know probably until a few pints down the line lol

Is the George Lucas Cut of revenge of the sith real? I won't tell anyone ;)

I've got no clue man ahaha

Did you get to speak to George Lucas much? If so what was that like?

Hardly at all, apart from him saying "cut" many times. He was veeery softly spoken though.

Did you expect your minor role to be so well remembered, albeit through a meme, over a decade and a half later?

No way not at all!

Who's your favourite prequel character besides yourself of course?

Mace Windu!

What would you say is your favourite Star Wars movie?

Attack of the Clones/ Return of the Jedi

If anything. Did the credits do fine?

I wasn't credited unfortunately, my character's name is the main proof that I was in the film.

Did you just put a ton of insight (in this IAMA) to a character with 3 seconds of screen time, that people will now have to accept as a canon?

Absolutely!

What are you doing now? Like did you follow a career in acting, or something else entirely.

I'm doing creative work now with graphic design and developing my skills with video production so it's kind of similar.

Are you going to get revenge on Anakin for slashing the other Younglings, and trying to kill you?

I will not let the crimes against my brothers and sisters go unpunished. After Anakin is dealt with there will be no more revenge though, back to meditation for me.

Evening from the UK

What is your favourite star wars movie and why

Contrary what is your least favourite and why?

My favourite Star Wars film is Attack of the Clones, partly because it has my favourite battle scenes and it was the preceding film before acting in Revenge of the Sith as a kid.

My least favourite is the Last Jedi. There were multiple scenes in that film that just took me out of it. Haven't even watched The Rise of Skywalker lol.

Out of curiosity - what are your thoughts on the franchise as a whole?

Overall I think of Star Wars positively, Lucas Films did a good - pretty decent job, Disney is very hit and miss in their work. Both studios have given us great moments. I can imagine it's a very difficult job to shepherd such a huge franchise successfully and to everyone's liking.

What is your opinion on the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy?

I really liked The Force Awakens but really didn't like The Last Jedi. I haven't even seen The Rise of Skywalker as I've heard bad things too. Overall I wasn't that impressed.

Did you ever feel weird acting on set in front of a green screen? Or were you really into it when you were acting?

At the time I just really focused on my lines, any weird feeling or nerves I had probably added to the fear Sors Bandeam must have been feeling anyway.

What was like filming that scene? Did you get recognized for it at school/college?

I only got recognized a couple of times shortly after the release of the film at school. As I've aged though I look less and less like my 6-year-old self so it hasn't happened since.

How do you feel about Disney’s mishandling of Star Wars?

I think they definitely mishandled the sequels but have done wonders with The Mandalorian so my opinion is rather mixed!

How was it like growing up being known as a kid who got murdered by anakin? Also how was it being in a movie that blown up?

It's kind of an honour that I got murdered by the most powerful sith in the galaxy at the time. The fact that it's a blockbuster has also helped me with recognition etc.

Hello Ross. If you could take on any role in star wars (canon or legends), that has not been shown on tv or a movie at the moment, who would you be?

Through my brief investigation just now I'd like to be a Jedi investigator or a Jedi seer. Going to far-flung planets and dealing with criminal organizations or predicting the future with visions seem like it would be my style.

What would happen to your character Von starwars if you weren't killed?

He would have hid and been taken under the wing of the grey Jedi, ready to promote a more balanced view of the force.

How did that role affect your view of the franchise?

If you were approached by Jon Favreau and offered a role as an extra in one scene of an episode of the mandalorian would you be down?

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I think It's impacted my view of the franchise positively especially as my role affected how dark and risky the film was. Yeah I'd definitely take up that role too.

How much times you practiced the infamous scene in RoTS?

I practiced the line about 4 times a day in the two-week run-up before filming.

If you were to be in another Star Wars movie/ short and have a lightsaber, what color would you want it to be?

And what would you have preferred your Jedi been? A Knight? Temple Guard? Member of the High Council?

I want my lightsaber colour to be purple. Also, I would like to be a Jedi Seer or Investigator who was a member of the high council.