Charlie Hunnam has had quite the career and has carved out a solid lane for himself within the entertainment industry. While he’s been able to take on some great roles, he – like many other actors – has a few notable gigs that got away. He even turned down DC's Green Arrow. the latest he recalled was that of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movies and possibly beyond. Hunnam apparently got close to landing the part, which eventually went to Hayden Christensen. So close that he actually had the opportunity to meet with George Lucas but, as the actor recalled, he ended up having a “very awkward” meeting with the sci-fi guru.
George Lucas was actually looking at a few notable stars before he tapped Canadian actor Hayden Christsensen to play the Jedi destined to become Darth Vader. Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Walker were reportedly a couple of the big names the filmmaker had on his list. One would think that at the time, Charlie Hunnam may have been anxious to be in the running for such a massive job. Today, however, he admitted that he can’t remember all that much about the casting process:
I had forgotten that too, but yes, I did. I got to the point where I was meeting George Lucas, you know? Which... I don't think he meets a lot of actors. I think it was probably, maybe, two to three actors they were considering. I don't remember much about it.
That’s understandable, given it was so long ago, and the Pacific Rim star has had various casting experiences since then. While his memory is somewhat fuzzy on a lot of the specific details, he does remember sitting down with George Lucas to discuss the part. The leading man explained during his interview with ET that it was a “very awkward” meeting. With that, it seems like he knew even at the time that he wouldn’t get the opportunity to wield a lightsaber on camera:
And I just remember it being a very awkward meeting and walking out and thinking, 'Well, I'm definitely not [getting the] role.' And I was correct. Sometimes it's about the vibes.
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“Vibes” can definitely be important when it comes to situations like that. While it’s interesting to wonder how Charlie Hunnam would’ve performed as Skywalker, I think everything turned out just fine. Years later, he landed the role of Jax Teller on the acclaimed FX drama Sons of Anarchy. He also has notable flicks like Children of Men, Crimson Peak, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and The Gentlemen under his belt. On the other hand, while Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin was originally met with tepid responses, his work has been better received by contemporary audiences. Fans even wished Christensen a happy birthday ahead of his return as Darth Vader on 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. All in all, I don’t think Hunnam can really complain over his good fortune.
The British star is currently part of the Rebel Moon cast and, with that, he actually gets to enter the world of science fiction as seen through the lens of filmmaker Zack Snyder. The actor explained that he relished the opportunity to join Snyder’s budding franchise. He may not get to wield the Force, thanks to that awkward meeting with George Lucas, he’ll at least get in on some serious action through this entry on the schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire will be available for Netflix subscribers starting on December 22. Fans of Star Wars can also check out Hayden Christensen’s work as Anakin Skywalker using a Disney+ subscription.
