When a film or series is done and dusted, sometimes an audience will say; “That actor wasn’t very good in that part” or they’ll say the opposite; “I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part” or better yet; “Wasn’t so-and-so born to play that role.”
An obvious example of this in modern cinema is Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. I firmly believe Matthew Lillard was born to play Shaggy in the live-action Scooby Doo films.
We do this with Star Wars. It’s ridiculous to think of anyone else playing Han Solo other than Harrison Ford in the original films. How on earth could we even begin to envision Darth Vader’s voice belonging to anyone else other than James Earl Jones, but the truth is, like most things in life, things could have worked out very differently.
Let’s look at some of the casting options that almost happened for the Prequel Trilogy.
Hayley Joel Osment as Anakin Skywalker (Episode I)
Over 3000 young actors auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker in Episode I. The casting process is well-documented in the behind-the-scenes extras on the DVD release of the film. Jake Lloyd was chosen as he had a look about him that suggested a bit of wildness, something Lucas was looking for. An actor who went on to gain recognition, however, was Haley Joel Osment who would go on to see dead people with Bruce Willis the following year.
Michael Jackson as Jar Jar Binks
There’s a lot documented about MJ. A lot. For obvious reasons we won’t go into it here but by the time Episode I was getting ready to enter production, Jackson had expressed an interest publicly in being in the film. Jackson really wanted the role and had notes and ideas about how a comic relief character might be portrayed. Thankfully, George knew what he wanted and went with the exceptional physical talents of Ahmed Best to capture the spirit of Jar Jar whilst groundbreaking new CGI technology would fill out the rest.
Sir Kenneth Branagh or Joseph Fiennes as Obi-Wan Kenobi
The search for an actor to play a younger version of Sir Alec Guiness was almost as legendary as the character himself. McGregor has been on record as saying that he initially did not want to do the film series as he considered himself a ‘grunge’ actor thanks to Trainspotting. However, the closer he got in the casting process the more he wanted to be Obi-Wan. One can see how an actor like Branagh was closely considered for the role but now we have these films, no one could have been Young Ben and portrayed him with that wonderful wink in the eye like Ewan McGregor.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Anakin Skywalker (Episode II)
A legendary piece of potential casting, this one is well-documented. DiCaprio, at the time, was a hot, young Hollywood star and if you visualise it, he fits the bill perfectly. He carries many physical similarities to Hayden Christensen and, of course, DiCaprio by this stage in his career was well firmed as a dramatic actor, with the likes of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? under his belt. He ultimately declined the role, however, despite his being a huge Star Wars fan. Though Christensen struggled with the initial reception back in the day and retreated from Hollywood, these days you’d be hard pressed to find a more loved actor with such a devoted following. Just be in the room at any panel he’s on and you’ll know.
Gary Oldman as General Grievous
There’s a bit of a dispute about the story involving this casting. As much as can be made out, Oldman was heavily involved and associated with the character. Now, reports say that Oldman dropped out of the film when he found out that production was going to be in Australia and made outside of the Screen Actor’s Guild. Matthew Wood, who would go on to provide the voice of the character, has since said that Oldman simply auditioned for the voice but was never selected. Either way, Wood’s performance is iconic.
Tom Hanks or Morgan Freeman as Qui-Gon Jinn
During the 1990’s Hanks reigned supreme as one of the world’s biggest and most bankable stars. Hit after hit came from Forrest Gump, Toy Story to (one of my personal favourites) The Green Mile. Due to his friendship with Spielberg, its no shock that Lucas floated the idea of Hanks for the role of Qui-Gon Jinn. Perhaps Hanks was just too much of a star? Someone who one could potentially see landing the role was that of Morgan Freeman. His wise nature and calming aura could have been a great fit for the Jedi Master. None could match, however, the pitch perfect performance delivered by Liam Neeson. It’s no secret this his acting chops provide one of my favourite performances in the entire saga and he remains a firm favourite. How Neeson got the role is also rather sweet. By his own account, Neeson went in to meet with Lucas and for the hour he was with him, they didn’t talk about Star Wars once. They discussed philosophy, life and fatherhood. Neeson suspected the job wasn’t his, until a few days later his agent phoned to tell him Lucas wanted him for the part.
