By the time George Lucas was ready to tackle the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the franchise was a household name and had a much bigger budget to work with than the original films did. With that meant more room to bring on big-name celebrities, and casting the likes of Anakin Skywalker, a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padmé Amidala must have come with a ton of pressure.
Just as A-listers in the making were nearly cast in the original trilogy, plenty of familiar faces almost joined a galaxy far, far away with The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. But when it was time to cast an adult Anakin, newcomer Hayden Christensen was reportedly a no-brainer. According to StarWars.com, casting director Robin Gurland is quoted as saying she looked at around 1,500 candidates for the part, but ultimately Christensen stood out among all the rest.
Gurland explained:
"“When Hayden came for his first meeting, I opened the door, and I just suddenly became flushed, because I knew. I sat him down and looked at him through the camera, and all of a sudden, I could feel goosebumps. I couldn’t get too excited, because it’s just the initial meeting, but by the end of it, I just knew that Anakin had walked in the door. I literally picked up the phone and called George and said, ‘Anakin just walked in.’ But I had to continue on, because casting is kind of a never-ending process.”"
But what about all the other actors vying for the role? Who got close to scoring the role of Anakin Skywalker? Well, a handful of major stars. Let’s get into them.
Leonardo DiCaprio turned down Star Wars
Interestingly enough, Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio actually turned down the chance of portraying Anakin Skywalker. As he explained to Short List in 2015, the actor had a meeting with George Lucas about the role before deciding it wasn’t for him. When asked why, DiCaprio kept it vague by stating, “[I] just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point.”
It doesn’t look like DiCaprio has said anything else about this near-stint on Star Wars, nor whether or not he’d be open to joining the franchise at some point in the future. Based on all of his success since the prequel trilogy debuted, we don’t think he’ll be pressed for work anytime soon.
Heath Ledger almost played Anakin Skywalker
Though Lucasfilm has never confirmed this and neither did the actor, the late and great Heath Ledger was said to have been considered for the role of Anakin Skywalker. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ledger was on his way to becoming a bonafide A-lister, having starred in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and A Knight’s Tale (2001).
There’s no doubt Ledger could’ve made an awesome Anakin, especially as we saw how well he embraced the dark side with his outstanding performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). The role ultimately awarded him a posthumous Academy Award.
Christian Bale was considered for two Star Wars roles
Arguably the most talented actor out there today, Christian Bale was reportedly considered for two different roles in Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker and Tobias Beckett, the latter of which went to Woody Harrelson.
The Academy Award winner has never confirmed or denied these rumors, and in fact, acted rather coy about the possibility of joining the prequel trilogy back in 2000. When promoting his film American Psycho (2000), the star teased a new project he was signed on for, and when asked directly whether or not it was Star Wars, Bale reportedly said: “You wouldn’t have heard that from me. My lips are sealed.”
Obviously, if he did sign on to portray Anakin Skywalker, it ultimately didn’t work out. If you now wish you could see what a young heartthrob Bale would look like as the Star Wars character, check out this fun Deepfake video here.
Ryan Phillippe auditioned for Anakin Skywalker
Speaking of late 1990s/early 2000s heartthrobs, Ryan Phillippe was certainly one of the biggest. Coming off big films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Cruel Intentions (1999), the Big Sky actor being considered for the role of Anakin Skywalker isn’t entirely surprising. Phillippe recalled his experience trying out for the role briefly back in 2008, telling MTV News:
"“I read with Natalie Portman. I think it was sort of an age thing in their mind. It wasn’t quite right, but yeah, they were interested.”"
By May 2002 when Attack of the Clones came out, Phillippe was 27 years old while Christensen was a young 21. Perhaps if the Crash actor was a bit younger at the time, he could’ve played Anakin.
Colin Hanks auditioned for Anakin Skywalker
Colin Hanks, who is best known for playing roles like Gus Grimly in Fargo (2014-2015), Oliver in The House Bunny (2008), and Preston in King Kong (2005), along with being Tom Hanks’ son, was once in the running to portray Anakin Skywalker. However, it doesn’t look like he made it far in the audition process, contrary to what some reports have said.
During an interview with New York Daily News back in 2008, the actor explained what really happened when he tried out for the part. While he did audition, he certainly was not a runner-up. He shared:
"“Not true. I met with a casting director, along with every other actor in my age group. That was it. But I did know the actor who was auditioning after me, and he mentioned it [to a reporter], and suddenly they were saying ‘Tom Hanks’ son in the running to play Darth Vader!’ That might be the only press clipping I ever put up on my fridge.”"
Though he didn’t make the final list of candidates, it is fun to think about what a young Colin Hanks could bring to the table with the iconic Star Wars role. Around the time Attack of the Clones was casting and then premiered, Hanks was making money from shows Roswell and Band of Brothers, along with the comedy movie Orange County.
Paul Walker was upset over losing Anakin Skywalker role
And our final actor on this list is the late Paul Walker, who most people will know from The Fast and Furious movie franchise. Though the actor was already on his way to becoming a household name at the time Attack of the Clones came out with films like She’s All That (1999), Varsity Blues (1999), and The Fast and Furious (2002), the Star Wars prequel trilogy would’ve no doubt made him an even bigger A-lister.
And it appears Walker was very upset about losing the role, especially to newcomer Hayden Christensen. As reported by Time, the actor spoke with Teen Movieline in 2000 where he shared that Star Wars was one job he took badly losing out on. He said:
"“I was really bummed out that I didn’t get the part of Anakin in Star Wars: Episode II. But there were rumours circulating so I don’t know how close I came to actually getting it. Josh Jackson was apparently in talks to play Anakin, too. (Laughs) You can’t say anything, but a part of me was thinking ‘You B*****d! You better not get the part over me!’ At the same time, you’d be happy if he does get it rather [than] Hayden Christensen, some no-namer from Canada. He’ll probably be good, though. Well, at least he’ll show up on time and know his lines. (Laughs).”"
With all the money Walker likely went on to make with The Fast and Furious films, among others, we hope he didn’t stay bitter for too much longer.
Hayden Christensen is returning to Star Wars
Whether you love or hate the prequels, many Star Wars fans do feel like Hayden Christensen was the perfect fit for Anakin Skywalker. And if you’re one of those people, I’m sure you’re excited about the upcoming Obi-Wan live-action series for Disney+, which will feature the actor as Darth Vader. The anticipation is real for that new show, and fans of the prequel trilogy are incredibly hyped to see how it all unfolds.
As of now, the Obi-Wan Kenobi show does not yet have a release date, but we can most likely expect it to debut sometime in 2022. And for those wondering if Natalie Portman will appear in some capacity, we’re right there with you. Don’t underestimate the power of flashbacks!
Do you think Star Wars made the right decision casting Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, or do you wish one of these actors would’ve scored the role? Let us know in the comments section!