20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

18. Liam Neeson Signed On Without Reading The Script

It sure seemed like Lucas' production was lucky to score an actor of Liam Neeson's calibre to play Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, but it absolutely wasn't the quality of the script that lured the legendary star in.

Like most of us, Neeson simply assumed a new Star Wars movie would be good, and signed onto the movie without even reading a script - that's how confident he was.

To his credit, Neeson hasn't indulged in the mud-slinging against the film that many of his co-stars have, and as recently as 2015 reiterated that he had a great time making the film.

Despite Lucas' reputation for being a difficult director on the prequels, Neeson's had only kind words to say about him, and even insisted he'd be up for reprising the Qui-Gon role if the opportunity ever arose.

Though Qui-Gon was yet another example of the movie's epically wasted potential, Neeson at least acquitted himself admirably with a typically grizzled, entertaining performance.