The buzz surrounding
Star Wars: Episode VII continues to grow with the recent announcement of open auditions running across the UK until November 24th. The first such audition in Bristol (near my neck of the woods) saw thousands of teenagers and early-20-somethings turning up for the chance to be part of the most popular saga in fantasy history. Despite my
initial misgivings about Disney buying Star Wars, and about J. J. Abrams in general, I'm going to keep an open mind about the film until its release in 2015. But these auditions are as good a time as any to sound a note of caution about becoming part of the
Star Wars universe. To all those who manage to audition over the next few days, enjoy it but be warned: once you're in
Star Wars, it's almost impossible to get out. Now, a great many among you wouldn't turn up your nose at screen immortality within a franchise that has captivated the world since the 1970s. And you might argue that since George Lucas is no longer in control, there's less chance of anything bad happening. But all too often the talented actors involved in the franchise have had their careers completely overshadowed by it, or sometimes had no real career at all. Sure, Harrison Ford has done pretty well for himself, and Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman escaped largely unscathed, but how many others can claim that? Here then is my list of ten actors who, for all their talent and hard work, still live in Lucas' all-encompassing shadow. In each case, I'll be evaluating whether they deserved their fate, and highlighting other work of theirs which deserves recognition. Let's begin with a certain Admiral...