Real Reason Jodie Foster Turned Down Star Wars' Princess Leia for $36M Disney Flick
Instead, the actress starred in the body-switching comedy.
Summary:
- Jodie Foster revealed that she was offered the role of Princess Leia in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, but turned it down because she was already busy with another Disney project.
- One can assume that this project was the 1976 comedy Freaky Friday, as it was in production at the same time as A New Hope.
- The role of Princess Leia eventually went to Carrie Fisher, who was only 19 years old and this was her second acting job.
Having started her career at an early age, Jodie Foster, unlike most child stars, has not fallen off the radar over time.
The two-time Oscar winner has managed to work with such masters as Martin Scorsese and Robert Zemeckis, and has also sat in the director's chair herself more than once.
Jodie Foster Could Play Princess Leia
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As it turns out, the actress could become part of one of the most successful franchises of our time – Star Wars, as she was offered the role of Princess Leia. For a long time, there were rumors that Foster could play the role, but the actress herself recently confirmed them:
“I was [offered the role]. [...] I was doing a Disney movie, and I just didn’t want to pull out of the Disney movie because I was already under contract so I didn’t do it.”
Why Did Jodie Foster Reject Star Wars Gig?
In 1976, the Disney movie Freaky Friday starring Jodie Foster was released, and it is quite possible that the actress was referring to this project in the interview.
Given that the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was being produced in March 1976 and Freaky Friday was released in December 1976, it is reasonable to believe that Jodie was forced to decline the role because of the development overlap of this specific project with George Lucas' movie.
Despite the fact that Freaky Friday certainly didn't reach the cult status of Star Wars, the film's theatrical release went well for its time – it earned $36 million against a budget of $5 million.
The actress played the role of teenager Annabel, who has a strained relationship with her mother Ellen. As a result of inexplicable magic, the two switch bodies on the night of Friday the 13th.
This version is much closer to the original source, Mary Rodgers' novel of the same name, unlike the later and much more popular Disney remake starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The movie proves that Foster, despite her extremely early career start, can handle any role, and her comedic skills are just as brilliant as her dramatic ones.
Princess Leia Went to Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher played the main role of her life, Princess Leia, when she was only 19 years old and it was only her second acting job.
When J. J. Abrams decided to revive the franchise, Fisher was one of the few actors from the original saga who agreed to return to full-time participation in the films.
However, in late 2016, tragedy struck – the actress fell ill during a flight. Despite intensive efforts of doctors, Fisher died two days later. The creators of the saga did not stop the story of Leia in mid-sentence, ending it in The Last Jedi.