In tonight's episode of The Clone Wars -- "Destroy Malevolence" -- Padmé Amidala makes her series debut in a fight to destroy the Trade Federation's secret new weapon, an ion cannon wielded from the starship Malevolence. Padmé is voiced by actress Catherine Taber, who makes her third appearance in the Star Wars galaxy with The Clone Wars, having previously worked on video games Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed (in which she portrayed Padmé's daughter, Princess Leia!).
We asked Catherine about her experience voicing The Clone Wars heroine and what qualities she brings to the character:
You've done voices for Knights of the Old Republic, The Force Unleashed, and now The Clone Wars. Were you a Star Wars fan before you were approached to do these?
I was. I think that's one of the reasons why I auditioned for KOTOR, which was my second voice audition ever. Understanding and being a fan of the universe really helps if you're going to be an actor involved in one of these projects.
Had you read any of the books or played the games?
I hadn't played any of the games, but I do have the three books by Timothy Zahn [The Thrawn Trilogy]. I wasn't really a fan when I was a kid, but at some point I was dating a boy who was into Star Wars and I think that's sort of how I got reintroduced. I actually love the three new movies as well as the old. As a girl, it's one of my favorite things, and there are now lots of little girls who are Star Wars fans. I definitely think it's an equal opportunity franchise.
For Clone Wars, how much of Natalie Portman's portrayal of Padmé did you try to preserve for the role?
When I auditioned for the part, I definitely pulled more in line with what she had already done. But a lot of what we're doing is not in the movies, obviously, and Padmé's in completely different situations. You really do have to make it your own. When you're an actor, you're very often going to be playing a part that someone's played before, whether it's a Shakespearean character or a remake of a movie. It gets dangerous to try to be that other actor because then you're ignoring the whole point, which is to be the character. I think that Natalie Portman is a really smart person, and I think Padmé is a really smart person, so I think there are things that are inherent to her as an actor and as the character that I definitely tried to keep there.
You played Leia in The Force Unleashed, so you've essentially played both mother and daughter. How did you vary the performances for these two characters?
They were completely different experiences for me. Carrie Fisher has a very distinct voice which often changes dramatically throughout the films. If they had asked me to play Carrie Fisher from Return of the Jedi, you know, that would not work. Luckily my Leia was supposed to be a teenager. I realize I don't sound like Carrie Fisher as much as I do like Natalie Portman, but I really understand her attitude. The accent that she has at the beginning has something to do with the position that she's in, her parents, and who she is in society. Even though it wasn't as big a part, it was more daunting for me as an actress because I definitely feel like Leia is much more of a tomboy than Padmé. She's much more fly by the seat of her pants, a little gruffer, which is all really fun, but was something outside of me that I had to consciously do.
Are there any future Star Wars projects you'll be involved in that you can comment on?
Um, no -- not that I can comment on. But there is definitely more Star Wars in my future.
Catch Catherine's Clone Wars television debut as Padmé tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network and on streaming video next week here at starwars.com. You can also check out Catherine's website here.
