Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From The Star Wars Universe

Lions and Tigers and Yoda as a Monkey

Not willing to consider a famous actor for Yoda, George Lucas initially wanted the character portrayed by a monkey. While Yoda was eventually portrayed by famous puppeteer Frank Oz, of Muppets fame, he was very nearly played by a monkey wearing a cane and a mask before producers decided the idea was too ridiculous.

Apparently, a crew member shot down the idea saying “Look, the monkey’s just going to pull the mask off over and over again. It’s never going to work.” Making Yoda a puppet whose strings were pulled by a master puppeteer turned out to be a much better option.

Albert Einstein, Muse

There is a lot more to the Yoda saga than his character almost being played by a monkey. His facial features were actually based on a famous figure; Albert Einstein. The wrinkles on his upper lip were inspired by Einstein’s iconic mustache. It makes sense when you think about it.

Yoda’s character is known for being wise, so it’s perfectly reasonable that he was modeled after one of the greatest minds of all time. Who better than the man who came up with the theory of relativity to remind Luke Skywalker that it’s all relative? One thing is for sure: the decision to model Yoda after Einstein paid off.…