10 Actors Who Turned Down Star Wars
4. Jodie Foster - Princess Leia
It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Princess Leia other than the amazing Carrie Fisher, but the fact is that she was not Lucas' first choice. That mantle actually went to another up and coming young actress by the name of Jodie Foster.
Foster had become a major presence as a child actor in the 70's, appearing in five movie roles and multiple TV appearances. At the age of 14, Foster was offered two significant roles, both of which would see her take on far more meaty roles than she had before. The first role on offer was in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, where she would play a young prostitute alongside Robert DeNiro. Then George Lucas came along with what would have been the ultimate starring role, none other than Princess Leia. As we well know, Foster declined Lucas' offer, taking the role in Scorsese's film instead.
It's fair to assume that giving the role of Leia to a 14 year old would have lead to a number of changes to the script and casting, which overall we should be thankful didn't eventuate. The romantic tension between Leia and Han would most likely have been removed, or at least felt a little awkward.
As for Foster herself, well she claims to not regret her decision. “I don’t think I’m going to be on my deathbed going, like, ‘Damn! I didn’t do Star Wars." Actually, we kind of think you might!