Old Star Wars Rumor Just Got a Firsthand Confirmation

Summary:

• There have been many alternate casts for Star Wars movies that never came to fruition
• One of the most intriguing was that Jodie Foster almost played Leia Organa in the very first Star Wars film
• Now, the actress has confirmed it and revealed what made her turn down the offer

Given that the Star Wars franchise has been around for nearly fifty years and consists of eleven films (including Rogue One and Solo), a lot of actors and actresses have appeared in it over the decades.

However, perhaps just as many stars never got the chance to become part of the galaxy far, far away for a multitude of reasons, despite being on the short list to portray some of the iconic characters we know and love.

To this day, fans wonder how different the Star Wars movies would have been if only these alternate castings had happened, and whether it would have been for better or worse.

Jodie Foster Turned Down The Role Of Leia Organa

One of the more curious rumors was that Jodie Foster, best known for her roles in Taxi Driver, The Accused, and The Silence of the Lambs, almost portrayed Leia Organa in Episode IV instead of Carrie Fisher.

However, it remained rather ambiguous for many years, as no one tried to debunk it, but no real official confirmation was given.

Now, finally, the actress has confirmed the fact firsthand while speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, timed to Foster's recent appearance in the fourth season of TV series True Detective.

The actress revealed that the film's creators actually wanted Princess Leia to be younger and considered Foster, who was about thirteen at the time, for the role.

Unfortunately, she was already signed on for the undisclosed Disney film, which created a scheduling conflict, so the actress had to turn down the offer, leading to Carrie Fisher, who was nineteen, being cast as the princess.

But Foster doesn't seem to regret the missed opportunity, praising Fisher's performance as "an amazing job," as the actress isn't even sure she could have portrayed Leia any better.

Still, there is at least one thing Foster would have changed about the character, jokingly saying that she might have made her hair resemble a pineapple instead of the iconic hairstyle we saw in the 1977 film.

Fans Believe Foster Was Actually Lucky to Avoid Star Wars

Fans point out that while it would have been curious to see Foster's take on Leia Organa, perhaps missing out on Star Wars was a blessing in disguise for the then-aspiring actress.

Aside from Harrison Ford, who went on to star in several cult classics after the first Star Wars movie, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher's careers didn't really take off after their appearances in A New Hope.

Sure, they both eventually found success, but it took a long time, so maybe Foster was lucky enough to choose different projects to star in that brought her international fame.

They also joke that in some alternate universe there must be a version of A New Hope starring Foster as Leia, Kurt Russell as Han Solo and Burt Reynolds as Darth Vader, and most of them would have paid quite a bit of money just to get a glimpse of it.

Either way, Jodie Foster can be justifiably proud of many other iconic roles she has played over the years, and now you can see her in True Detective season 4, the second episode of which will premiere on January 21, 2024.

Sources: The Tonight Show via YouTube, Reddit