50 Star Wars secrets that will blow your mind
By Josh Hill
40. A Superstar Actor Almost Played The Unmasked Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi
When the idea of unmasking Darth Vader came up in the development of Return of the Jedi, it was proposed that an A-list actor play the role. There were a few names kicked around, including Lawrence Oliver, but George Lucas eventually ruled against the idea.
In Lucas’ mind, the decision to have an A-list actor be revealed as Darth Vader would have taken away from the moment. He’s not wrong, but he’s also kind of a hypocrite in this regard.
Wile Lucas refused to have an A-list actor play Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, he ended up erasing Sebastian Shaw from the later releases of the film by putting in Hayden Christensen. This was meant to connect the prequel trilogy to the original trilogy, but it flew in the face of Lucas’ fear about taking away from the moment.
Next: 39. Peter Cushing Wore Slippers