Over 40 years ago, George Lucas created the magnificent space opera known as Star Wars. Star Wars was eventually made into a whole trilogy, given a prequel trilogy, a sequel trilogy, and a series of spinoff movies.
Star Wars has been given a lot of movies over the years but even now a number of other Star Wars films are in development, not to mention the several TV shows, video games, and books that will surely be coming out in the coming years.
Star Wars has dug its lightsabers into the roots of our pop culture and it appears to be here to stay. Many people worship anything Star Wars related. Some fans have been watching since the ’70s, while others may just be getting introduced to the series because of Rey, Poe, and Finn.
The series doesn’t cater to a certain age group, which means that the movies can be fun for the whole family. Regardless of how long someone has been a fan, most of the time, they don’t get a chance to be apart of the filmmaking process as actors do.
No matter how fun some people may think it would be to star in a Star Wars movie, not all actors feel the same way about the opportunity. Some actors may only be acting in a Star Wars movie for money or because of a contract, while other actors might genuinely love their roles within the Star Wars universe.
With that said, here are 10 Actors Who Regretted Being In Star Wars (And 10 Who Adored It).
Regretted: Jake Lloyd
When Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace came out in 1999, it wasn’t exactly what fans were expecting to say the least.
Today, the movie is despised by many Star Wars fans and part of the hatred goes towards Jake Lloyd’s portrayal of Anakin Skywalker.
Lloyd was only ten years old when the movie came out, and instead of living it up as a child celebrity, Lloyd got a lot of fan backlash because of the movie.
When talking with The Daily Telegraph, Lloyd explains how the film made his life a “living hell.”
He said that his classmates would make fun of him and he slowly grew to hate his role in Star Wars, which caused him to quit acting altogether.
Adored: Simon Pegg
While thousands of people all over the world adore Star Wars, not very many people get to act in the movies.
Simon Pegg is one of the lucky few actors who not only made it big in Hollywood, but also got to act in a Star Wars movie.
Granted, Pegg was covered in mounds of prosthetics, making him completely unrecognizable, but Pegg still gets to watch Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens and know that he’s in it.
Pegg has a deep love for Star Wars and it’s clear to see why he adored his role of Unkar Plutt. Pegg has even gone as far as saying, “Through good times and bad, Star Wars is without doubt the defining film in my life.”
Regretted: Harrison Ford
Han Solo is without a doubt one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe.
He even got his own spinoff movie called Solo: A Star Wars Story starring Alden Ehrenreich. Besides his spinoff, Han Solo has been played by Harrison Ford in all three of the original Star Wars movies, as well as the first film in the sequel trilogy.
Even though his character is beloved by fans, Ford wasn’t a big fan of his character. In 2010, five years before The Force Awakens would hit theaters, ABC News sat down with the actor to ask why no movies had featured his character since Return of the Jedi.
Ford responded by saying that he thought his character was “not so interesting” and that he thought that Han should have been ended in Return of the Jedi.
Adored: Mark Hamill
Most people who have seen a Star Wars movie know who Mark Hamill is. Hamill has played Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi.
Along with playing Skywalker in the actual movies, Hamill has also voiced the character for shows like Robot Chicken and Family Guy.
Hamill always seems to be thrilled to talk to the media and fans about Star Wars. He even made his own TV show called Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest to talk with collectors about pop culture memorabilia.
When reminiscing with Variety about his time working on the original Star Wars, Hamill mentioned, “I loved swinging across the Death Star chasm with the Princess.”.
With the love Luke has received from fans over the past 40 years, it’s easy to see why Hamill would love him too.
Regretted: Alec Guinness
While many actors who worked on the original Star Wars trilogies loved their time on set, Alec Guinness was not one of them.
Guinness played Ben “Obi-Wan” Kenobi in all three of the original Star Wars movies.
When writing to a friend while filming Star Wars, Guinness wrote, “Can’t say I’m enjoying the film — new rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wages of pink paper — and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable.”
He clearly did not enjoy working on the movie. In fact, he even told a young fan that he could only have his autograph if he promised to never watch Star Wars again.
Adored: Daisy Ridley
One of the biggest draws of The Force Awakens was the promise of including original trilogy stars while introducing a new batch of characters.
The new characters were mostly played by up-and-coming and diverse actors. One of these actors was Daisy Ridley.
Ridley plays Rey in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi and is considered the heroine of the sequel trilogy. Ridley had only been in shorts and TV series prior to her Star Wars career.
When talking to Variety about her experience on set, Ridley explained, “It was amazing, obviously [scary], but to see the thing that we were trying to recreate… we didn’t have to embellish anything because it was right there in front of us, so that was absolutely amazing.”
Regretted: Anthony Daniels
C-3PO and R2D2 are seen as two of the best friends in the galaxy, but in reality, actors Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker never got along on set.
The Baker and Daniels feud isn’t anything new, but it appears that Daniels hated playing C-3PO in the prequel trilogy.
When talking with Entertainment Weekly about having C-3PO done with CGI, Daniels said, “[During the prequels], the only time [Threepio has] been CG was when it was very dangerous [to act in the scene in a suit] — and it wasn’t very good. In fact, I’m going to say it was awful.”
Daniels is one of the few actors to be included in the original, prequel, and sequel trilogy, but it’s a shame that he didn’t enjoy his time as much as other actors.
Adored: Ewan McGregor
Not many good elements came out of the prequel trilogy, but one character that most fans loved was the younger version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was played by Ewan McGregor.
McGregor played the Jedi Knight in all three movies in the prequel trilogy and even lent his voice for a small line in The Force Awakens.
Fans have been begging to see a solo Obi-Wan movie for years, but after the failure of Solo: A Star Wars Story, that doesn’t look to be happening.
That being said, McGregor has said on numerous occasions that he would return to the character if given the opportunity. He has also joked on The Graham Norton Show about how often he is recognized as the character, which reveals his positive feelings about his role.
Regretted: Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was another member of the cast for all three movies in the prequel trilogy.
She played Queen Amidala, aka Padmé, in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. While Anakin Skywalker truly loved Padmé, the same can’t be said for directors of Portman after she starred in Star Wars.
She revealed in an article fromNew York Magazine that, “Star Wars had come out around the time of Seagull, and everyone thought I was a horrible actress. I was in the biggest-grossing movie of the decade, and no director wanted to work with me.”
Not every actor and actress made it out of the Star Wars prequels with continued work, but thankfully Natalie Portman has moved past her Star Wars days and become a very successful actress.
Adored: Donald Glover
Many actors who appear in the newer Star Wars movies are actually fans of the series themselves – Donald Glover included.
While Glover made waves when he released the single “This Is America”, he also got a big fan base when he was cast as Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Even if fans didn’t care for the movie, there is no doubt that Glover nailed the role of Lando.
In an interview with The Star Wars Show, Glover explains how he was a fan of the series before he was cast in the role.
When he found out he got the part, he bought a pizza and went home to watch The Empire Strikes Back.
Regretted: Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen was the second person to play a younger version of Anakin Skywalker and, much like the ten-year-old Jake Lloyd, Christensen too grew to regret starring in Star Wars.
Christensen played the character in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Jedi.
Christensen has expressed regret over playing Anakin when talking with the Los Angeles Times: “I guess I felt like I had this great thing in Star Wars that provided all these opportunities and gave me a career, but it all kind of felt a little too handed to me.”
“I didn’t want to go through life feeling like I was just riding a wave,” he said.
Adored: John Boyega
Along with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega was another Star Wars actor who was picked without having a lot of prior acting experience.
Boyega’s biggest role prior to The Force Awakens was in the alien flick Attack the Block. Boyega’s career has skyrocketed since Star Wars, however, and Boyega seems to be loving the role of Finn.
Talking with the Seattle Times, Boyega discussed Finn in The Last Jedi and explained, “It’s been great to see how the Star Wars universe has been expanded just in terms of culture.”
The movies have indeed become more diverse given Boyega’s Nigerian roots, as well as Rey being a female icon for young women to look up to.
Regretted: David Prowse
David Prowse may not have voiced one of the most iconic movie villains of all time, but he did play the character.
Prowse wore the Darth Vader suit for all three movies in the original trilogy, yet he has been very vocal on his opinion of the experience, specifically on George Lucas.
At some point during the trilogy, Prowse and Lucas had some sort of a falling out, which Prowse still holds onto to this day. Some theorize that it was because his voice wasn’t used in the original trilogy or because his face didn’t appear when Luke takes off Vader’s helmet in Return of the Jedi.
Prowse even went as far as saying that his only fond memory of filming Star Wars was when he got his first check.
Adored: Felicity Jones
Felicity Jones is yet another actress who grew up watching Star Wars and eventually got to play a role in one of the movies.
Jones, of course, plays Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. When visiting Good Morning America, Jones revealed that she used to watch Star Wars on VHS and that she liked when the opening scrawl went up the screen.
While Rogue One didn’t have an opening scrawl, Jones still got to live out her dream of playing a superhero. Erso might not have any super powers per say but Jones said that, “It was the opportunity to play a kicka** girl. She’s a real live wire. She’s got real spirit, and it was a just a fantastic character to make.”
Regretted: Ahmed Best
Jar Jar Binks isn’t just one of the most hated characters from The Phantom Menace – he’s also one of the most despised characters in the entire Star Wars saga.
The character is played by Ahmed Best, who has continued his acting career with much smaller roles and has occasionally provided his voice for the Gungan character.
Even though Best has now come to terms with the hated character, he confessed to Wired that he “was staring at the end of my career before it started.”
The role of Binks probably wasn’t the best option for his career, but at least the actor is able to make light of the situation and has moved on with his life.
Adored: Peter Mayhew
Peter Mayhew may not be recognizable without his Star Wars costume on, but throw a big brown fuzzy onesie on him, and viewers will know exactly who he is.
Mayhew played Chewbacca in the original trilogy as well as in The Force Awakens. Mayhew appeared at the Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim, and during an interview, he explained how he got goosebumps when he saw Han and Chewbacca together again on the big screen.
He further explained that when the trailer was revealed, “everybody was on their feet and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”
Mayhew has an obvious love for the character and the Star Wars universe in general, and his portrayal as a big walking carpet is just as lovable.
Regretted: Terence Stamp
Fans were not overly pleased with George Lucas’s continuation of the Star Wars saga. As it turns out, many of the actors in the prequel trilogy were not pleased with the finished product or their experience working on the movies either.
Terence Stamp, known for playing the original General Zod in the Superman series, played Chancellor Valorum in The Phantom Menace but didn’t return for Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Jedi.
When talking with Empire Magazine, Stamp revealed that he didn’t enjoy working with George Lucas, especially since the director relied so heavily on CGI.
In the interview, Stamp comments, “I didn’t rate him that much as a director, really” and explained that the entire filmmaking process was just “boring.”
Adored: Joonas Suotamo
While Peter Mayhew is known for playing the role of Chewbacca, Joonas Suotamo took over the role for certain scenes in The Force Awakens and for the entirety of The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Much like Mayhew loved playing the role of Chewie, Suotamo also enjoyed the experience.
Suotamo sat down with Fansided and discussed Harrison Ford’s on-set injury while filming The Force Awakens. Suotamo said how scary of a situation it was for everyone involved, especially for him. as he always considered Ford his childhood hero and was still getting used to the idea of working with him.
Thankfully Ford lived to tell the tale himself and is still a childhood hero to many Star Wars fans like Suotamo.
Regretted: Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz may not be recognized by every Star Wars fan, but that’s because he never appeared in a movie.
While fans can’t see him in the movies, they can hear him since he voiced Darth Maul, a Battle Droid Commander, and a Gungan Scout.
The actor went onto the Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast and confessed that he realized that he had made a mistake at the premiere of the movie when he saw Jar Jar Binks and the several other CGI characters.
Serafinowicz even called the experience “one of the worst-paying jobs” that he ever did.
That being said, it isn’t much of a surprise that he didn’t return to voice the character for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Adored: James Earl Jones
While David Prowse got to wear the Darth Vader suit on screen, James Earl Jones provided the voice for the character.
Jones’ voice has become synonymous with Darth Vader, and even at the age of 87, he still provides the voice for the character.
Not only did Jones voice Darth Vader for the original trilogy, but he has voiced the role for Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and several of the animated TV shows.
When being interviewed by American Film Institute, Jones expressed how excited he was to be a voice in a movie and get paid $7,000 for his work. “It was great fun to be a part of that,” he said.
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Are there any other actors who you know loved or hated their Star Wars role? Let us know in the comments!
