TheStar Warsuniverse has been around long enough to solidify many of their characters into the status of iconic and instantly recognizable. This also goes for the actors that are playing as them, and it makes it hard to imagine these characters as anyone else. For example, the legendary smuggler Han Solo and fearless princess Leia Organa could only be played by Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, respectively. Or even in the prequel trilogy Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are the only two that could portray a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
However, these castings could have ended up very differently, as many other actors have either auditioned for or discussed being a part of the galaxy that George Lucas created. Here are nine actors that were almost cast in aStar Warsmovie.
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9Kurt Russell: Han Solo
Another notable actor to audition for the role of Han Solo was Kurt Russell. There’s even an audition tape of Russell floating around the Internet as well. However, despite Russell auditioning for the role and showing interest in playing, Russell was also auditioning for other jobs at the time. So, when Russell asked Lucas if he was going to hire him and Lucas could not give him a straight answer, Russell decided to back out of his audition and move on to shoot a western show for ABC. “Clearly, I made the right choice,” Russell said in a 2017 interview withUSA Today.
8Jodie Foster: Leia Organa
Even though she would have been a young teen when filmingStar Wars, Jodie Foster was reportedly a top choice to play Princess Leia by George Lucas. Despite having the offer to play the role of Leia, Foster turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, as Foster was filmingTaxi Driverat the same time. It’s for the better that Carrie Fisher ended up in the role, and Foster seems to agree as well. “I don’t think I’m going to be on my deathbed going, like, ‘Damn! I didn’t do Star Wars,'” Foster said in a 2007 interview withEmpiremagazine.
7Benicio Del Toro: Darth Maul
Even though Benicio Del Toro was eventually cast into a role forStar Wars: The Last Jedi, he originally was supposed to play a major character in the prequel trilogy. Del Toro was cast to play as the wielder of the double-bladed lightsaber, Darth Maul. Del Toro joined the cast after being offered the role by George Lucas, but eventually left the production after most of Maul’s lines were cut from the script. The role went on to be played by Ray Park after Del Toro backed out of the film.
6Michael Fassbender: Kylo Ren
Michael Fassbender revealed on MTV’sHappy, Sad, Confusedpodcast in 2016 that he was up for a role in the first film of theStar Warssequel trilogy, and that he was in talks with director J.J. Abrams about joining production. While Fassbender did not specify the role, many fans speculate that the role was that of Kylo Ren. However, Fassbender said he was “busy doing something else in the summer he was kick starting that.” The role went on to beplayed by Adam Driver, who served as Ren for the rest of the sequel trilogy.
5Tupac Shakur: Mace Windu
Rick Clifford, an engineer that worked for Tupac’s label, Death Row Records, as reported byRolling Stone,said that Shakur was supposed to read for the character of Mace Windu to George Lucas, and had his sights set on playing the powerful Jedi. After Tupac tragically passed away in 1996, Samuel L. Jackson took on the role and proceeded to play Windu through all three prequel films.
4Michael Jackson: Jar Jar Binks
Not only did Michael Jackson almost play the role of Jar Jar Binks, he was the one that wanted to play the role and made his case to George Lucas. However, according toAhmed Best, the actor that actually went on to play as Jar Jar, Jackson wanted the character to be made with prosthetics and practical effects, while Lucas had his eyes set on using CGI. This worked out for the better for Jackson, as Jar Jar Binks becameone of the most hated charactersin film for many viewers.
3Christopher Walken: Han Solo
One of many actors that auditioned for the role of Han Solo, Christopher Walken was the second choice to play the character behind Harrison Ford, according to George Lucas. Despite Lucas saying he was the second choice, Walken is ultimately glad that he didn’t end up in theStar Warsmovies. “I was lucky because I’d have been awful in them,” said Walken in an interview withFinancial Times. And Walken isn’t the only actor that’s happy for not getting the role either.
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2Leonardo DiCaprio: Anakin Skywalker
After the massive success ofTitanic,Leonardo DiCaprio was in talks with George Lucas to play as a teenage Anakin Skywalker in the last two films of theStar Warsprequel trilogy. Obviously, he ended up not taking the role, and we got Hayden Christensen playing as Anakin. In 2014, DiCaprio toldShortlistthat he didn’t think he was ready for a major role like that, saying that he “didn’t feel ready to take that dive.”
1Gary Oldman: General Grievous
Originally set to voice the threatening general inStar Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,Gary Oldman unfortunately had to pull out of the project. Oldman is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), andRevenge of the Sithwas not a SAG film. In order for Oldman to appear in the film, George Lucas needed to ask the Screen Actors Guild for permission for Oldman to star in the film. However, Lucas and his team became annoyed by the prospect of asking for permission and Oldman eventually had to leave the film. The voice of Grievous then went to the next voice actor in line, which was Matthew Wood.
