Maul fun facts!

A couple of fun costume things that I learned (or relearned? it has been a long time) whilst checking things for the Fashion of Nemesis post, but couldn’t find space for:

• Iain McCiag’s original intention was that Maul wore feathers on his head, attached to a wire. The act of wrapping the feathered wire around his head was to be a meditative act of self-flagellation, each feather having to hit exactly the right point or he would have to start over. The design, when passed on to the creatures department, was interpreted as horns, and that’s how we ended up with the spiky zabrak we all know and, uh, know today.
• Maul’s markings were created in a frustrated accident of spilled ink, and were developed and finalised through experimental rorsharch-like ink blottings.

Iain McCaig, The Art of Star Wars The Phantom Menace

This sketch also demonstrates the original ‘muscle suit’ costume before it was decided to more directly mirror the Jedi costumes, and design something more sympathetic to movement and combat.

• Maul’s one piece of bling, an earring in his left ear, was never a part of his character design. It was Ray Park’s own, and he was wearing the earring when he sat down in the make-up chair. Hours later, when he stepped in front of the camera, it was still there and wasn’t noticed until it had been shot on and established. The earring stayed for the remainder of the shoot, and Maul has stuck with this one concession to fashion all the way through the Clone Wars to rebels. Despite its constant presence over 20 years, it has never been given an explanation or backstory. Maul just really likes it, ok.