Iconic movie legends, Academy Award-winning sensations, and more actors utterly wasted in Star Wars.
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00:00 While there is still a small glimmer of hope for many of the figures attached to this list,
00:04 when it comes to finally being given the treatment their talent and dedication undoubtedly deserves.
00:10 At this current moment in time, you'll struggle to find a fan of this corner of the galaxy
00:14 who would claim each of these actors were used to their full potential on the Star Wars
00:18 stage.
00:19 Gaga Binx here from What Culture Star Wars and here are 10 Actors Completely Wasted in
00:24 Star Wars.
00:25 10.
00:26 Benicio Del Toro The announcement of the one-of-a-kind Benicio
00:30 Del Toro finally making a splash in the Star Wars pool in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi
00:35 left many licking their lips at the mere idea of who he could be bringing to life, and what
00:40 chaos he could be set to let loose on the sequel trilogy's feature players.
00:44 And with Del Toro himself even noting sometime before he'd shot his first scene for the
00:49 flick that "As a kid, I really liked those films, like, way before I ever thought I was
00:53 gonna be in movies.
00:55 It's clear the distinct performer was as excited as the masses were about showing up
00:59 as DJ."
01:00 Yet in the end, outside of being a typically enigmatic and compelling presence during Finn
01:04 and Rose's unwanted detour to Canto Bight, Del Toro's slicer didn't offer an awful
01:09 lot to the overall tale, before stabbing the heroes in the back and wandering off into
01:14 the twin sunsets, never to be seen again.
01:17 9.
01:18 Andy Serkis Motion capture maestro Andy Serkis' appointment
01:22 as the Force Awakens' apparent big bad seemed to set the stage for yet another can't-miss
01:26 portrayal for one of the most engaging thespians in the game today.
01:30 Yet on the back of his sparing, yet still pretty chilling usage in said episode 7, what
01:35 could have acted as Supreme Leader Snoke's real moment to shine one film later, ultimately
01:40 left a universally sour taste in the mouths of most taking in The Last Jedi.
01:44 Instead of having the unsettling Strang cast take the franchise by the throat, before planting
01:49 seeds for a thrilling climax with Daisy Ridley's Rey and the rest of the Resistance in the
01:53 trilogy's finale, Serkis' wrinkled villain was shockingly cut down out of nowhere by
01:58 Kylo Ren before episode 8's climax.
02:00 And with Serkis himself even admitting it was a bit of a shock, but I could see exactly
02:05 why they were going that route, before noting how I just wish he'd survived, but who knows.
02:09 It's clear fans weren't the only ones who desired a little more from Serkis' time
02:13 in the Snoke saddle.
02:15 8.
02:16 Lupita Nyong'o
02:17 If this list has highlighted one thing up to this point, it's the fact that the sequel
02:21 trilogy certainly boasted its fair share of ridiculous talent, and alongside the freakishly
02:26 gifted Andy Serkis and Benicio Del Toro, was another unquestionably brilliant performer
02:31 coming off one of the most captivating turns of the decade, and an Academy Award-winning
02:35 one at that in 2013's 12 Years a Slave.
02:38 I am of course talking about the utterly mesmerising Lupita Nyong'o, who, like Serkis, was also
02:43 thrust into the motion capture landscape during her stint in the galaxy far, far away.
02:48 But also like Serkis, one of the hottest talents the business had to offer at the moment in
02:52 time wasn't exactly given much time to make a lasting impression as the mysterious Maz
02:57 Kanata, despite actually appearing in every sequel flick.
03:00 All in all, it often felt as though Disney simply liked the idea of having such an acclaimed
03:04 performer on the team, and hadn't actually pieced together a meaningful reason for Kanata
03:08 coming along for the ride.
03:10 Instead of handing Rey Luke's lightsaber in The Force Awakens and spouting out chunks
03:14 of exposition.
03:15 7.
03:16 Riz Ahmed
03:17 Putting together one of the most diverse and consistently outstanding bodies of work you'll
03:22 find in the industry today over the course of the last few years in particular, British
03:25 acting sensation Riz Ahmed can pretty much always be counted on to deliver the goods,
03:30 no matter what dramatic or comedic material is laid before him.
03:33 That being said, while his stunning work in everything from Nightcrawler to Sound of Metal
03:37 deserves to be hugely praised, and then some, the same sadly cannot be said for a number
03:41 of his slightly underwhelming blockbuster appearances to date.
03:45 And joining his less than thrilling turn as Venom's Carlton Drake/Riot, though that
03:49 was more down to some uninspired writing than his commitment it has to be said, was his
03:52 rather forgettable showing alongside fellow rebels Felicity Jones and Diego Luna in 2016's
03:58 Rogue Warner.
03:59 Again, it's not that Ahmed was terrible by any means, still proving his worth in former
04:03 Empire pilot Bodhi Rook's few moments in the spotlight, whilst being tortured by Borgulid
04:07 for example, but it's hard to escape the feeling that an actor of Ahmed's pedigree
04:11 was a little bit wasted here, in the bit part of exposition spalter and eventual casualty
04:16 of war.
04:17 6.
04:18 Samuel L. Jackson
04:19 Coming into George Lucas' highly anticipated return to his galaxy far, far away that was
04:24 1999's The Phantom Menace, you'd have been hard-pressed to find another actor as in-demand
04:29 as Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown icon Samuel L. Jackson was, upon officially
04:33 agreeing to join the Jedi Order around the time.
04:36 And with said turn showcasing the sort of undeniable charisma that only Jackson seemed
04:41 able to conjure up in front of a movie camera, it was assumed that the captivating actor
04:44 would once again steal the show with his work as Mace Windu from episode 1 onwards.
04:49 As you're likely more than aware of by now, that most certainly was not the case, with
04:53 the baddest mother-effort in the galaxy instead being handcuffed by uninspired dialogue and
04:57 an all-round bland personality when donning the robes of the all-powerful Jedi Master
05:02 throughout the prequels.
05:03 And while the at least boasted arguably the coolest lightsaber in the game, the fact his
05:07 only real highlights came when his mouth was entirely shut, tells the story of a usually
05:11 riveting performer utterly underutilised to say the least.
05:15 5.
05:16 Natalie Portman
05:17 And sticking with some of the 90's most talented faces not exactly being served up
05:22 the chance to really bring their true capabilities to the intergalactic table, Leon the Professional's
05:26 Natalie Portman's casting in the role of Luke and Leia's eventual mother Padme Amidala
05:31 was the sort of no-brainer that felt like a can't-miss opportunity to add yet more
05:35 unquestionable acting pedigree to an already stacked roster of prequel players.
05:39 However, like Samuel L. Jackson, Portman was largely restricted during her Star Wars spell,
05:44 and became increasingly sidelined as the films went on.
05:47 Simply put, a quick glance at Padme's overall arc from episode 1 to 3 doesn't make for
05:52 the most thrilling analysis, with Amidala going from the ruler of a planet to a lovesick
05:56 puppy of sorts before dying in childbirth of a broken heart.
06:00 And with Portman herself remarking how the films negatively impacted her career for a
06:04 spell in the wake of their disappointing release, confessing "Everyone thought I was a horrible
06:08 actress" after their arrival, it's clear the Oscar nominee is in agreement with the
06:12 masses when it comes to the prequels not taking full advantage of her remarkable talent.
06:17 4.
06:18 Emilia Clarke
06:20 Another star seemingly joining up with the various eclectic faces occupying this corner
06:24 of the galaxy at the peak of her powers, Game of Thrones standout Emilia Clarke also learned
06:29 the hard way that simply signing up to appear opposite Han Solo isn't enough to guarantee
06:33 a meaty Star Wars meal to get her teeth sunk into.
06:36 Taking up the spot of Solo's first real love interest by the name of Kira, Clarke's
06:40 Crimson Dawn lieutenant definitely housed the potential to be another significant strong
06:44 and layered female presence within a live-action galaxy often lacking in that department.
06:50 Yet despite undoubtedly acting as one of Solo as Star Wars Story's few glimmers of hope,
06:54 and setting the stage for further interactions with fan-favourite presence more later on,
06:59 the film's poor box office performance eventually left Kira in limbo shortly after.
07:03 And though Clarke has gone on record to state how the character has unfinished business,
07:07 and that she's even written out a ton of her backstory and future plans already, there's
07:11 still no signs of life when it pertains to giving Kira the returning arc an actor of
07:15 this dedication and ability evidently merits.
07:18 3.
07:19 The Raid Stars
07:21 In what should have been the biggest open goal in Star Wars casting history in the lead-up
07:25 to J.J. Abrams' sequel starting The Force Awakens back in 2015, the announcement of
07:29 some of the most talented and untouchable action stars currently walk in the face of
07:34 the Earth being brought aboard should have paved the way for a wave of out-of-this-world
07:37 combat sequences within the director's section of the galaxy.
07:41 Shooting stormtroopers from pillar to post, wielding lightsabers in a way that made the
07:45 prequel's freakishly athletic showings seem pedestrian in comparison, the possibilities
07:49 were endless for the likes of the Raids, Ico-Yue, Yaya-Ru-Haiyan and Sasepa-Reef-Rahman in this
07:54 intergalactic setting.
07:56 Yet instead of blasting them into numerous high-tech combat sequences, the trio were
07:59 reduced to little more than a throwaway cameo midway through the adventure, forming part
08:04 of the crime gang Kanja Club trying to get their mitts on Han Solo.
08:07 The group spend more time retreating from Raftars than handing Star Wars personalities
08:11 their asses in the runtime, so what a damn waste that was.
08:15 2.
08:16 Forest Whitaker
08:17 With the news of Oscar-winning icon Forest Whitaker reportedly being in line for another
08:21 live-action stab at the all-round partisan badass that is Saw Gerrera, in this year's
08:25 Andal will be music to most Star Wars fans' ears, in the wake of his other depressingly
08:30 fleeting showings in the role to date.
08:32 After being very much present in much of the marketing material in the lead-up to the release
08:35 of Rogue One, Whitaker's actual involvement in the original trilogy prequel flick boiled
08:40 down to little more than a few flickers of madness, before being blasted to oblivion
08:44 on Jedha.
08:45 Fortunately, Whitaker's showings in the likes of the Jedi Fallen Order video game
08:49 and Rebels animated series as the controversial Resistance leader helped salvage his otherwise
08:53 underwhelming first appearance as Gerrera back in 2016.
08:57 But the record still shows that he's been largely underutilised on the live-action Star
09:00 Wars stage thus far, with many hoping that his rumoured Andor appearance will finally
09:04 give the acting titan some meaty material to get stuck into during these early days
09:09 of the Rebellion.
09:10 1.
09:11 John Boyega
09:13 In his place as one of the sequel trilogy's new set of principal players spearheading
09:16 the next chapter of the Skywalker saga, the reveal of John Boyega's former Stormtrooper
09:21 Finn joining the good fight throughout The Force Awakens felt like the sort of refreshing
09:25 development needed to catapult the franchise into exciting new territory.
09:29 Only instead of doubling down on FN-2187, the story largely sidelined the wisecracking
09:34 one-time First Order member in the wake of that first Episode VII outing, with Finn often
09:38 being sent on pointless side missions and being reduced to little more than comedic
09:42 relief for the most part.
09:43 Boyega himself was also quick to note how he felt Finn was pushed to the side later
09:47 down the road, admitting that Disney gave all the nuance to the likes of Adam Driver
09:51 and Daisy Ridley, and "I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience
09:55 of that franchise based on their race" when talking to GQ about his time in the galaxy
09:59 far far away.
10:00 And when assessing how each of the main feature characters' arcs progressed over the course
10:04 of said sequels, it's hard to argue with Boyega being completely short-changed on the
10:08 compelling and detailed character fronts in comparison to his contemporaries.