Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim, and Rebel Moon star Charlie Hunnam says he was almost picked to play Anakin Skywalker before Lucasfilm eventually went with Hayden Christensen.
Hunnam revisited the earlier moment in his career when asked about it during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Although the actor’s career eventually picked up with plenty of other successful projects, he says his big break that never was involved Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones.
“That is true. Yeah, goodness. I had forgotten that until you said that. Years and years ago, I met George Lucas,” Hunnam said. On how far into the process he got, he added, “I got to the point where I was meeting George Lucas. I don’t think he meets a lot of actors. I think there were probably two, maybe three actors they were considering. I don’t remember much about it. I remember that I was nervous, I was a little bit awkward and I remember walking out and thinking, ‘Well, I’m definitely not getting that role.’ And I was correct.”
Regarding his feelings that he wouldn’t get the role, he said, “Sometimes it’s about the vibes.”
Landing one of the most prominent roles in the Star Wars universe is undeniably huge, but who knows how things would’ve turned out had Hunnam nabbed the part. Anne Hathaway spoke about a similar phenomenon when she recounted the time she almost appeared in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 as Black Cat before. If the film had ever seen the light of day, Hathaway feels she never would’ve gotten to play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.
There’s no telling if Hunnam’s missed Star Wars role was a positive or negative for him. What we do know, however, is how time has treated Christensen’s take on the man who would eventually become Darth Vader. While his performance was first scoffed at for years following his time as a Skywalker in the prequel trilogy, Christensen has since become an icon among Star Wars fans. His version of the character became so popular that he returned to reprise his role in Disney+ shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and, more recently, Ahsoka.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
