chess

They even had a "leaked" sketch of Padawan Leo:



I was personally all for it at the time and thought he would have done a great job. Despite all the hate, he's a terrific actor. If nothing else, he can do anger and grief (see Gangs, Aviator, Basketball Diaries).

Then again, Portman is a pretty good actress, and look what happened there...

Michael Corvin

I think I will still stick with Hayden. As poor as his acting is, I think having a star in the main role would have detracted from the story.

Fok

Would of been interesting if you played Anakin, kinda wished he got the part now.

MJKTool

I never had a problem with Hayden. Still don't.

twikoff

as i mentioned in the thread about hayden getting out of the business

i prefer not to see star wars characters playing other roles, in other movies.. in my mind, it takes away a bit from it.. Im glad the got someone that I had never seen in a movie before, and will never see again.. its better that when Im watching the movie, Im not envisioning the person in the other roles they have played.

of course, as i said before.. portman in closer, was just fine for me

Franchot

Say what?

I don't think of "Trainspotting" when I watch Ewan. I don't think of "Dracula" when I watch Christopher. I don't think of "Schindler's List" when I watch Liam. (And so on...) When I see these actors on the screen I see the "characters" they have created because these actors have a level of craft that enables them to create multi-dimensional characters. IMO, Leonardo would have been a TERRIFIC addition to the cast.

Brain Stew

There would be a lot more crying .

Mad Dawg

I shift sides on this back and forth. I can appreciate wanting to have a relative unknown in the role, but after seeing what was expected of the actor playing Anakin, I'd have prefered someone who could have made it more believable for me. And whether HC has shown himself to be a quality actor outside of these films or not, IMO, his performance in both movies didn't justify him having a role at all, much less this role.

PixyJunket

Would HAVE, HAVE for crying out loud. Would've for short.

PopcornTreeCt

I would like to think Leonardo would have brought great depth and character to the role of Anakin but since Ewan and Natalie couldn't do it, I doubt Leo would've been able to.

Jeremy517

As bad as Jake Lloyd was, I think Leo would have been a bit old to play that part.

chess

I agree with everything in this post...

I thought HC was decent in ROTS, but he stunk in AOTC. Leo could have pulled off both phases (young and coflicted, older and afraid) with much more complexity...i.e. he wouldn't have been as one dimensional. In AOTC HC was whiney, and in Sith, he was angry...not much else going on there.

chess

Maybe, but he could have played it if Anakin had been written at 13-14 rather than 9 with just a few camera tricks and a stand in for wide shots (a la LOTR). Jake Lloyd would have made a terrific stand in.

IMO a 13 year old Anakin would have been MUCH more interesting than the 9 year old version.

Goldberg74

"I'm the LORD of the GALAXY!"

Nope. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

mgbfan

Keep HC - Leo would have been far too good for the part to be convincing.

Luke: Bad acting runs in my family. I have it. My father had it. My father as a child had it. You have it, Leia ... yes, it's true. You're a bad actor too.

Leia: I know ... somehow I've always known.

Third Baseman

I thought Hayden was good. His voice is perfect.

Josh H

I think Leo would have done great.

I don't mind stars either, when they're stars that are actually good actors (like Leo, Depp, Pitt etc.). Like the guy above said, I don't see the star, or see other characters they played, as they're such good actors I buy them in the current role.

sq240

Bah. I can't stand Leonardo DiCrapio as I like to call him. I liked him in Gangs, Basketball Diaries and What's Eating Gilbert Grape, but in big budget films I feel he really hoses them up. I am not a fan of his. I think he would have really mucked it up.

I really like Hayden in ROTS. I thought the look and voice was perfect. Some of the scenes in AOTC was a little hard to watch, but it reminded me of Mark Hamill so it had a little symmetry to it. I don't want Star Wars for the acting anyways.

For those that think Hayden is such a horrible actor check out Life as a House. I thought he did a really good job in that movie.

Even a really good actor can't overcome mediocre writing. Look at Liam, Natalie and Ewan. Plus remember Harrison Ford's comment to Lucas when filming the originals that the lines might read fine, but you can't speak or act on them.

Amel

Ewan couldn't?? Hush yo' mouth! While I'll agree that Portman was less than impressive in this role, Ewan was flat out incredible.

I think Leo's a good actor, but I wouldn't have liked to see him as Anakin. I too like the idea of an "unknown" actor playing a role such as this.

Mr. Cinema

I'm glad Leo wasn't in it, but he is a very good actor.

bboisvert

I don't think you saw the same Ewan I did. He was freaking PERFECT in the role of Obi-Wan.


And I never had the slightest problem with Hayden (or Natalie for that matter). Both of them were hampered by very awkward dialog and not much context for their 'deep romance'.

calhoun07

It would have looked awkard to have Darth Vader have such a huge helment, as it seems DeCaprio's head gets bigger every year.

shaggy

Thank God. There are at least a few of us. I think sometimes people hear a complaint a few times and then just run with it. Anakin came across the way Lucas intended. People won't admit it now, but he was excellent in Sith.

Leo might have pulled it off, but I agree he was too big, it might have been distracting.

shaggy

Well said. Ewan is Obi Wan. I also agree with Haydan and Portman, some dialog was poor, and there wasn't enough romance set up. However, I think they have a lot of chemistry on screen. When they are looking at eachother or kissing, I reallly feel it. They were also excellent in the scene she tells him about the baby.

mgbfan

I think Ewan was an excellent choice for Obi Wan. Thought he played it perfectly and his look was just right as well.

I have some casting issues, but he is absolutly not one of them.