30 iconic Star Wars roles that almost went to different actors

Joaquin Phoenix, Elizabeth Olsen and Tessa Thompson. Composite: Dork Side of the Force.
Joaquin Phoenix, Elizabeth Olsen and Tessa Thompson. Composite: Dork Side of the Force. /
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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 01: Actress Zoe Kravitz attends 2019 Hulu Upfront at Scarpetta on May 1, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 01: Actress Zoe Kravitz attends 2019 Hulu Upfront at Scarpetta on May 1, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) /

17. Qi’ra  (Zoë Kravitz)

Back in 2016, Vanity Fair reported that Tessa Thompson, Naomi Scott, and Zoë Kravitz were the top three choices to play a romantic lead opposite Alden Ehrenreich’s young Han Solo. Before the role went to Emilia Clarke, it would appear that even the Lucasfilm concept artists were imagining a version of the film where Kravitz was the co-star alongside the fan-favorite smuggler. It should be noted that there are a lot of different pieces of concept art for Qi’ra out there — including stylized alien versions of the character. But that doesn’t keep Star Wars fans from envisioning a world where Solo: A Star Wars Story was co-led by a Black actress.

It seems like casting for Qi’ra was a last-minute decision since both Ehrenreich and Donald Glover had already been cast in their respective roles as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian by the time they were screen testing these three actresses.

Hopefully, there will be an opportunity for Kravitz to lend her extreme talent to the cast of a future Star Wars film. She has had a long line of successful roles in series like Big Little Lies and High Fidelity and is set to appear as the feline-caper Selina Kyle in Warner Bros. The Batman next year.