Having a role in aStar Warsmovie or television series has become a coveted thing among Hollywood’s biggest actors. We see this with the Stormtrooper cameos by Daniel Craig and Jason Sudeikis, and more recently with Jack Black, Lizzo, and Christopher Lloyd inThe Mandalorian. For every majorStar Warsrole played by a particular actor, there is a laundry list of high-profile names that almost, but didn’t quite land the part. These are 10 major Star Wars roles that almost went to different actors.
10Toshiro Mifune - Ben Kenobi
It is no secret thatwhen makingStar Wars, George Lucas was heavily influenced by classic Samurai films, particularly those made by iconic director Akira Kurosawa. This reverence towards Kurosawa’s films even led Lucas to want Japanese actorToshiro Mifuneto take on the mentor role of Ben Kenobi. Years later, Mifune’s daughter confirmed that her father was indeed approached to play Kenobi, but ultimately decide to pass as he feared the film would “cheapen the image of samurai”, in what had to be a disappointing moment for Lucas. Alec Guinness would go on to play the learned Jedi master inone of the bestand more iconic roles in his career.
9Elizabeth Olsen - Rey
When it was announced in the Fall of 2012 that The Walt Disney Company had purchased Lucasfilm, fan speculation began almost immediately about who could star in the then-untitledEpisode VII. Now known for her iconic role as Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Elizabeth Olsen, among others, was asked to audition for the part of Rey during the casting process ofThe Force Awakens.
Her ability to commit to the new franchise was inhibited however by her commitment to numerous yet-to-be-developed MCU projects. While it is speculation about how interested director JJ Abrams really was in Olsen for the part of Rey, the actor undoubtedly would have jumped at the chance to join the space saga.
8Eddie Redmayne - Kylo Ren
While the now iconic performance by Adam Driver is considered to be one of the highlights of the sequel trilogy, the role could have gone to Oscar-winning actor,Eddie Redmayne, The actor has recounted his audition for the part numerous times over the years, having not described it as one of his more fruitful endeavors. It certainly would have been interesting to see the actors take on the tragically flawed character of Kylo Ren.
Related:Kylo Ren Tortured Chewbacca in Filmed The Rise of Skywalker Deleted Scene
7Tom Holland - Finn
In 2021,actorTom Hollandrevealedhe had gotten pretty far into the audition process to play Finn in the 2015 return of the Star Wars franchise,The Force Awakens. The actor credits his inability to keep a straight face as his audition partner made android noises during the audition. Luckily for Holland, he went on to become a central figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
6Taron Egerton - Han Solo
Whoever was cast to take on the iconic role of Han Solo in 2018’sSolo: A Star Wars Storywas going to face an uphill challenge. Harrison Ford left a definitive imprint on the character that no actor could ever truly replicate. While Alden Ehrenreich would eventually go on to play the younger version of Solo, it wasKingsmanfront-man,Taron Egertonwho had auditioned for the part. While Egerton would have undoubtedly performed well in the role, missing out may have benefited the star in the long run, as the movie would go on to receive fairly negative reviews and bring in amiddling box office return.
5Leonardo DiCaprio - Anakin Skywalker
While his performance has received an improvement in praise in recent years, Hayden Christensen’s received plenty of criticism whenAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sithwere initially released. While a large amount of this is due to poor writing on the part of George Lucas, it is hard not to imagine a more seasoned actor taking on the role. One name considered to take on the role of Skywalker wasLeonardo DiCaprio, who ultimately turned down the role, citing a wariness to take on a large franchise role.
4Benicio del Toro - Darth Maul
While Darth Maul would be played by numerous actors over the years in both live action and animated mediums, it was acclaimed actorBenicio del Torowho reportedly had the role locked in for the first of three prequel films,The Phantom Menace. However, with Maul’s role being diminished through script rewrites by Lucas, del Toro lost interest and dropped out of the running. Darth Maul would go on to be one of the ups in a moviefilled with ups and downs, despite the small part he did play.
Related:Star Wars: Lines From The Prequel Films That Are Actually Good
3Hugh Jackman - Obi-Wan Kenobi
One of the silver linings to come out of the relatively panned prequel trilogy was the performance given by Ewan McGregor as the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi. Before McGregor signed on to play the Jedi Knight, it was relatively unknown actorHugh Jackmanwho was also in contention to play the part. It was this unknown quality however that may have worked against Jackman, who ended up losing out on the role. The actor would not be kept down for very long, as just a few years later he would take on the career-altering role of Wolverine in the long-runningX-Menfranchise.
2Jodie Foster - Princess Leia
For years, there was chatter that iconic actorJodie Fosterhad been in talks to play Princess Leia in the originalStar Wars. It was Foster herself who confirmed these years later, citing a scheduling conflict that would have interfered with her ability to star in the role. To take nothing away from the actor, this was probably best for all parties involved, as Carrier Fisher would go on to embody Leia for generations of Star Wars fans.
1Al Pacino - Han Solo
Al Pacinoas Han Solo, imagine that. It is hard to do, even if you didn’t have prior knowledge of Harrison Ford’s iconic take on the character. If you ask Pacino though, if it wasn’t for hislack of understanding of the script, he had the part in the bag. Say hello to his big hairy friend Chewbacca.
