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The passage of time in Hollywood can be fascinating on a number of different levels and reveal a lot of hitherto unknown things such as alternate casting choices for well-known and beloved movies and TV shows. For example, did you know that at one point Ronald Reagan was considered for the George Bailey role in Frank Capra’s holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life? Or did you know that Corey Haim and Sean Astin auditioned for the Chris Chambers part in Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, the role which River Phoenix ultimately walked away with and claimed as his own? And what would you have thought of seeing Frank Sinatra – Old Blue Eyes himself! – in the role of John McClane in Die Hard? If Hollywood had struck while the iron was hot (and Sinatra was still young enough to tackle the part), Bruce Willis would have had to find his breakthrough and signature performance elsewhere.
The above ‘What If?’ casting scenarios are always fun to study over in hindsight. Another alternate casting decision came to light recently during a presser for the new movie Rebel Moon, in which former Sons of Anarchy sensation Charlie Hunnam stars in, according to our parallel earth fans over at Variety.
During a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Charlie Hunnam revealed that at one point he was one of a few actors seriously considered by American Graffiti director George Lucas to tackle the role of Anakin Skywalker (A.K.A. Darth Vader) in the Star Wars prequel films.
“I had forgotten that too, but yes, I did. I got to the point where I was meeting George Lucas, you know?” Hunnam explained of the process. “I don’t think he meets a lot of actors. I think it was probably, maybe, two to three actors they were considering. I don’t remember much about it..I just remember it being a very awkward meeting and walking out and thinking, ‘Well, I’m definitely not [getting the] role. And I was correct. Sometimes it’s about the vibes.”
As for who the other two actors were that Lucas was considering sending to lightsaber training school? Obviously one of those thespians was Hayden Christensen who wound up walking away with the part. The other actor in serious contention? A little bird tells us that none other than Leonardo DiCaprio was in serious discussions to join the dark side of the Force. That never happened, obviously, but it’s a testament to George Lucas that he seriously weighed casting only the very best actors of their generation in the critical role of Anakin.
