Few roles have the public’s interest like that of Star Wars. Roles that once you are cast, you are forever known as that character, no matter how many other roles you’ve had or how popular they were. And the constant reminder of a role can get to be a bit daunting for the celebrity, especially years after they were done. I doubt many people would like to be reminded of a job they had ten years ago every day of their lives. And while I’m sure that most of them appreciated the job and what doors it opened for them, if any, being known for only one project can be frustrating for an actor or actresses who live for their next gig.
Natalie Portman, who had a career before Star Wars, and has just won an Academy Award for her role as the emotionally damaged ballerina in Black Swan, was quoted this week as saying that she wishes that people would forget that she was in Star Wars and concentrate on what she’s doing now. Course some will say that it’s hard to feel sorry for her. After all, unlike her predecessors, she knew what she was getting into when she signed up. But you know, when you are a young actress, pregnant with your first child, and middle aged men are coming up and proposing to you, as Padme, not even as yourself, it gets pretty scary and old. But even beyond that, actresses measure success on their latest project. They want to be remembered for the work they are doing now, not what they did then.
For young Anakin Skywalker, Jake Lloyd, the journey after making The Phantom Menace had not been a good one. He spent the rest of his childhood in high school and college basically ridiculed for his role in the film and while he does appreciate the opportunity he been given, the experience had made him bitter. In an interview with Australian TV, you could sense that he had a lot more to say, but was purposely being diplomatic. Of course, he was made to be the punching bag of the fans who blamed the movie for even being made, and that his acting was bashed quite a bit, which I’m sure didn’t help. Yet, we have to give him credit for attending various conventions, which we think in his case is a brave thing to do.
As for the older Anakin, Hayden Christensen, he had his doubts about whether he should sign on the bottom line, but when you are 19 and fame is being offered to you with just a signature, there are few that could resist. The thing that bothered him is whether he would be able to shake the role like Harrison Ford did, or he would be consumed by it, like Mark Hamill. He still isn’t sure this many years out, as the films he’s been in since then have really not been blockbusters to establish him in other roles.
In the older trilogy, most of the main characters were pulled out of obscurity. While Harrison Ford did have success in Blade Runner, he wasn’t a household name like he was after his role as Han Solo. Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill were pretty much newcomers when they soared out into the galaxy. All of them were injected into the role they played, and they were never able to leave it, although Ford did go on better than the rest. Fisher was quoted in her new book as saying that if she was offered Star Wars now, knowing it was going to be a major part of the culture, she would have turned it down. Her fame had brought with it a lot of heartache and she has suffered from depression and drug issues. Ford stated that he would have no interest in returning to the Star Wars culture when people speculated as to whether Han Solo would appear in the first three episodes. His work on other films like Indiana Jones, Air Force One and others have given him a success away from the character of Han Solo, so returning would be a bad move in his opinion. Hamill is still basically locked in as Luke, although he does voiceovers for animated shows like Batman: The Animated Series, etc.
Although Liam Neeson, who played Qui-Gon Jinn in Phantom Menace, was fortunate enough to avoid the typecasting and one role recognition. He was very happy about returning to the role, even if it was in voice form, to play the Jedi in The Clone Wars. He, unlike some of his co-stars, said he was thrilled to be asked to play Qui-Gon again. But then Neeson was well established in Hollywood before taking the role, and has done many things since. Perhaps the secret to avoiding the Star Wars tattoo is to be famous first. Although, that didn’t really work for Portman. Ewan McGregor also seemed to escape the typecasting as well, again probably because it was not his main role.
All in all, I’m sure that most Star Wars people, whether they want to admit it or not, wouldn’t have given up the chance to play in such iconic roles, but it’s not hard to see why many years later they feel as they do. It’s hard to be a legend.
