30 iconic Star Wars roles that almost went to different actors

25. Rey (Billie Lourd)

The sequel trilogy may have gone in an entirely different direction if this actress had booked the role. As it turns out, Carrie Fisher’s real-life daughter Billie Lourd auditioned for the role of Rey! Had she booked the role, one has to wonder if Rey would have been Han and Leia’s daughter, instead of Ben Solo being their son. It’s hard to deny that Billie Lourd is the spitting image of her mother.

In an interview with Ellen Degeneres shortly after Fisher’s death, Lourd revealed that she had been considered during the search for Rey. “J.J. Abrams called me to come in for Star Wars because he couldn’t find someone for the lead.” She went on to say, “But I went in and he ended up giving me this tiny role with a couple lines. I was super excited.”

While Abrams found his Rey in Daisy Ridley, Billie Lourd did go on to work in the Star Wars trilogy and even got the opportunity to act with her mother as Lieutenant Connix, which would go on to be a blessing in disguise. Later in the interview, she said, “I’m a big believer in things happening for a reason and I think I ended up in that movie for a reason. It was really incredible for us to have that experience together.”