50 Roles for 50 Actors: Dream casting the Star Wars saga

Dream casting the Star Wars saga: Maisie Williams as Zam Wesell

Here’s yet another thankless role that’ll need someone with charisma if it’s going to leave a mark. For those of you who don’t remember, Zam Wesell is the female (or female-seeming) assassin Jango Fett hires to kill Padmé Amidala in Attack of the Clones. Wesell’s face is mostly obscured behind a visor or a windshield during her scene, but she still has to emote as Anakin chases her through the skies and streets of Coruscant, and does a fair amount of acting with her body as she drives, runs, and shoots her way to her death scene.

So we want a good physical actor, and experience playing an assassin wouldn’t hurt. Maisie Williams, a young actress who’s rising to prominence with her performance as Arya Stark on Game of Thrones, is a great match.

First of all, although her Thrones character is young, Williams herself, so this isn’t a child soldier situation. Furthermore, Williams is a very physical actor, as anyone who’s seen Arya cross off names on her death list can attest. She should be able to add some drama to the Coruscant chase scene.

Finally, there’s the fact that Arya trained to be an assassin of Game of Thrones. You don’t ignore synergy.

Next: Send in the Clones