The Star Wars franchise is one of the most loved and successful franchises across the globe. The original Star Wars trilogy is truly phenomenal and popular. But when it was time to find the perfect ones for the prequel trilogy, director George Lucas had a really tough time as the casting choices didn’t always work out as expected. Let’s have a look at 6 actors who were almost cast in Star Wars.
Leonardo DiCaprio (Anakin Skywalker)
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones began its shooting in the year 2000. At that time, DiCaprio rose to fame with his stellar performances in movies like Titanic and several others. He had talks with George Lucas regarding playing the role of Anakin Skywalker in the second and third installments. However, he later changed his mind as he wasn’t prepared for the kind of attention that this franchise would bring.
Christian Bale (Anakin Skywalker)
Years before portraying the iconic role of Batman, Christian Bale was an entirely different actor. Robin Gurland (Lucasfilm casting director) explored about 700 tapes in order to find out the exemplary Anakin Skywalker. One name that was considered with prior importance was that of Christian Bale and his performance in the 2000’s American Psycho gave him an extra boost. However, the role ultimately went to Hayden Christensen.
Colin Hanks (Anakin Skywalker)
Just like Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale, Colin Hanks, son of Tom Hanks, was also considered for the role of Anakin Skywalker. But he also lost the role to Hayden Christensen like the other two. Christensen’s chemistry with Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala) was really great and this is said to be the main reason why Colin Hanks lost his chance to play the role of Anakin Skywalker.
Tupac Shakur (Mace Windu)
The role of Mace Windu perfectly suits Samuel L. Jackson and the star wars fans can’t imagine anyone else in that role. But before the role went into the hands Samuel L. Jackson, several other actors were actually auditioned by George Lucas. The legendary rapper Tupac Shakur is said to have auditioned for Lucas in 1996 (before filming Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace). But unfortunately he lost his life in a drive-by shooting (1996) and his death still remains as an unsolved mystery.
Benicio del Toro (Darth Maul)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was a disappointing fare and the only memorable thing in the movie is the Darth Maul and this character saved the movie from becoming a complete mess. Benicio del Toro was initially roped in to play the role of the Darth Maul, but he quit the project when Lucas edited and cut out most of the speaking portions. This role ultimately went into the hands of newcomer Ray Park.
Michael Jackson (Jar Jar Binks)
This weirdo character is undoubtedly one of the most controversial characters ever in the star wars movie universe. Just imagine what would have been the level of controversy if this character was portrayed by the King of Pop? Michael Jackson actually wanted to play the role of Jar Jar Binks, but he insisted on doing it with makeup and prosthetics. However, Lucas wanted the character to be a fully CGI generated one and Ahmed Best gave voice to the character.
