- 18 hours ago
Iconic movie legends, Academy Award-winning sensations, and more actors utterly wasted in Star Wars.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00While there is still a small glimmer of hope for many of the figures attached to this list,
00:04when it comes to finally being given the treatment their talent and dedication undoubtedly deserves,
00:10at this current moment in time, you'll struggle to find a fan of this corner of the galaxy who
00:14would claim each of these actors were used to their full potential on the Star Wars stage.
00:19Gaga Binks here from WhatCultureStarWars and here are 10 actors completely wasted in Star Wars.
00:2610. Benicio Del Toro
00:28The announcement of the one-of-a-kind Benicio Del Toro finally making a splash in the Star Wars pool
00:34in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi left many licking their lips at the mere idea of who he could be bringing to life
00:40and what chaos he could be set to let loose on the sequel trilogy's feature players.
00:45And with Del Toro himself even noting sometime before he'd shot his first scene for the flick
00:49that as a kid I really liked those films, like way before I ever thought I was going to be in movies,
00:54it's clear the distinct performer was as excited as the masses were about showing up as DJ.
01:00Yeah, and in the end, outside of being a typically enigmatic and compelling presence
01:04during Finn and Rose's unwanted detour to Canto Bight,
01:08Del Toro's slicer didn't offer an awful lot to the overall tale,
01:11before stabbing the heroes in the back and wandering off into the twin sunsets never to be seen again.
01:169. Andy Serkis
01:18Motion capture maestro Andy Serkis's appointment as The Force Awakens' apparent big bad
01:24seemed to set the stage for yet another can't-missed portrayal
01:27from one of the most engaging thespians in the game today.
01:31Yet on the back of his sparing yet still pretty chilling usage in said episode 7,
01:35what could have acted as Supreme Leader Snoke's real moment as Shine one film later
01:39ultimately left a universally sour taste in the mouths of Moe's taking in The Last Jedi.
01:44Instead of having the unsettling Strangcast take the franchise by the throat,
01:48before planting seeds for a thrilling climax with Daisy Ridley's Rey
01:52and the rest of the Resistance in the trilogy's finale,
01:54Serkis's wrinkled villain was shockingly cut down out of nowhere by Kylo Ren before episode 8's climax.
02:01And with Serkis himself even admitting it was a bit of a shock,
02:04but I could see exactly why they were going that route,
02:06before noting how I just wish he'd survived, but who knows?
02:10It's clear fans weren't the only ones who desired a little more from Serkis's time
02:13in the Snoke's saddle.
02:15Number 8, Lupita Nyong'o
02:17If this list has highlighted one thing up to this point,
02:20it's the fact that the sequel trilogy certainly boasted its fair share of ridiculous talent,
02:25and alongside the freakishly gifted Andy Serkis and Benicio Del Toro,
02:29was another unquestionably brilliant performer coming off one of the most captivating turns of the decade,
02:34and an Academy Award winning one at that in 2013's 12 Years a Slave.
02:38I am of course talking about the utterly mesmerising Lupita Nyong'o,
02:42who, like Serkis, was also thrust into the motion capture landscape during her stint in the galaxy far, far away.
02:48But also like Serkis, one of the hottest talents the business had to offer at the moment in time
02:52wasn't exactly given much time to make a lasting impression as the mysterious Mas Kanata,
02:58despite actually appearing in every sequel flick.
03:00All in all, it often felt as though Disney simply liked the idea of having such an acclaimed performer on the team,
03:05and hadn't actually pieced together a meaningful reason for Kanata coming along for the ride,
03:10outside of handing Rey Luke's lightsaber in The Force Awakens and spouting out chunks of exposition.
03:15Number 7, Riz Ahmed
03:17Putting together one of the most diverse and consistently outstanding bodies of work
03:21you'll find in the industry today over the course of the last few years in particular,
03:25British acting sensation Riz Ahmed can pretty much always be counted on to deliver the goods,
03:30no matter what dramatic or comedic material is laid before him.
03:33That being said, while his stunning work in everything from Nightcrawler to Sound of Metal
03:37deserves to be hugely praised and then some,
03:39the same sadly cannot be said for a number of his slightly underwhelming blockbuster appearances to date.
03:45And joining his less than thrilling turn as Venom's Carlton Drake slash Riot,
03:49though that was more down to some uninspired writing than his commitment it has to be said,
03:52was his rather forgettable showing alongside fellow Rebels Felicity Jones and Diego Luna in 2016's Rogue One.
03:59Again, it's not that Ahmed was terrible by any means,
04:02still proving his worth in former Empire pilot Bodhi Rook's few moments in the spotlight,
04:06whilst being tortured by Boer Gullit, for example,
04:08but it's hard to escape the feeling that an actor of Ahmed's pedigree was a little bit wasted here,
04:13in the bit part of exposition spalter and eventual casualty of war.
04:17Number 6, Samuel L. Jackson
04:19Coming into George Lucas' highly anticipated return to his galaxy far, far away that was 1999's The Phantom Menace,
04:26you'd have been hard-pressed to find another actor as in-demand as Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction,
04:31and Jackie Brown icon Samuel L. Jackson was, upon officially agreeing to join the Jedi Order around the time.
04:36And with said turns showcasing the sort of undeniable charisma that only Jackson seemed able to conjure up in front of a movie camera,
04:43it was assumed that the captivating actor would once again steal the show with his work as Mace Windu from Episode 1 onwards.
04:49As you're likely more than aware of by now, though, that most certainly was not the case,
04:53with the baddest mother effer in the galaxy instead being handcuffed by uninspired dialogue,
04:58and an all-round bland personality when donning the robes of the all-powerful Jedi Master throughout the prequels.
05:03And while the Elise boasted Aga be the coolest lightsaber in the game,
05:07the fact his only real highlights came when his mouth was entirely shut,
05:10tells the story of a usually riveting performer utterly underutilized to say the least.
05:15Number 5, Natalie Portman
05:17And sticking with some of the 90s most talented faces not exactly being served up the chance to really bring their true capabilities to the intergalactic table,
05:26Leon the Professional's Natalie Portman's casting in the role of Luke and Leia's eventual mother Padme Amidala
05:31was the sort of no-brainer that felt like a can't-miss opportunity to add yet more unquestionable acting pedigree
05:37to an already stacked roster of prequel players.
05:39However, like Samuel L. Jackson, Portman was largely restricted during her Star Wars spell,
05:44and became increasingly sidelined as the films went on.
05:47Simply put, a quick glance at Padme's overall arc from episode 1 to 3 doesn't make for the most thrilling analysis,
05:54with Amidala going from the ruler of a planet to a lovesick puppy of sorts before dying in childbirth of a broken heart.
06:00And with Portman herself remarking how the films negatively impacted her career for a spell in the wake of their disappointing release,
06:06confessing everyone thought I was a horrible actress after their arrival,
06:10it's clear the Oscar nominee is in agreement with the masses when it comes to the prequels not taking full advantage of her remarkable talent.
06:174. Emilia Clarke
06:19Another star seemingly joining up with the various eclectic faces occupying this corner of the galaxy at the peak of her powers,
06:26Game of Thrones standout Emilia Clarke also learned the hard way that simply signing up to appear opposite Han Solo
06:32isn't enough to guarantee a meaty Star Wars meal to get her teeth sunk into.
06:36Taking up the spot of Solo's first real love interest by the name of Kira,
06:40Clarke's Crimson Dawn lieutenant definitely housed the potential to be another significant strong and layered female presence
06:46within a live-action galaxy often lacking in that department.
06:50Yet despite undoubtedly acting as one of Solo A Star Wars Story's few glimmers of hope,
06:54and setting the stage for further interactions with fan-favorite presence more later on,
06:59the film's poor box office performance eventually left Kira in limbo shortly after.
07:03And though Clarke has gone on record to state how the character has unfinished business,
07:07and that she's even written out a ton of her backstory and future plans already,
07:11there's still no signs of life when it pertains to giving Kira the returning arc,
07:15an actor of this dedication and ability evidently merits.
07:183. The Raid Stars
07:20In what should have been the biggest open goal in Star Wars casting history in the lead-up to
07:25J.J. Abrams' sequels starting The Force Awakens back in 2015,
07:29the announcement of some of the most talented and untouchable action stars currently walk in the face of the Earth
07:34being brought aboard should have paved the way for a wave of out-of-this-world combat sequences
07:39within the director's section of the galaxy.
07:41Brewting stormtroopers from pillar to post,
07:43wielding lightsabers in a way that made the prequels' freakishly athletic showings seem pedestrian in comparison,
07:48the possibilities were endless for the likes of the Raid's Eco-UA,
07:52Yayaan Ruhayan,
07:53and Sussepa Reef Rahman in this intergalactic setting.
07:56Yet instead of blasting them into numerous high-tech combat sequences,
07:59the trio were reduced to little more than a throwaway cameo midway through the adventure,
08:03forming part of the crime gang Kanja Club trying to get their mitts on hand solo.
08:07The group spent more time retreating from Raftars than handing Star Wars personalities their asses in the runtime,
08:13so what a damn waste that was.
08:152. Forrest Whitaker
08:16News of Oscar-winning icon Forrest Whitaker reportedly being in line for another live-action stab at the all-round partisan badass
08:23that is Saw Gerrera in this year's Andor will be music to most Star Wars fans' ears,
08:28in the wake of his other depressingly fleeting showings in the role to date.
08:32After being very much present in much of the marketing material in the lead-up to the release of Rogue One,
08:36Whitaker's actual involvement in the original trilogy prequel flick boiled down to little more than a few flickers of madness,
08:43before being blasted to oblivion on Jedha.
08:45Admittedly, Whitaker's showings in the likes of the Jedi Fallen Order video game,
08:49and Rebels animated series as the controversial Resistance leader,
08:52helped salvage his otherwise underwhelming first appearance as Gerrera back in 2016.
08:57But the record still shows that he's been largely underutilized on the live-action Star Wars stage thus far,
09:02with many hoping that his rumored Andor appearance will finally give the acting titan some meaty material to get stuck into during these early days of the Rebellion.
09:111. John Boyega
09:12Taking his place as one of the sequel trilogy's new set of principal players spearheading the next chapter of the Skywalker saga,
09:19The reveal of John Boyega's former Stormtrooper Finn joining the good fight throughout The Force Awakens felt like the sort of refreshing development needed to catapult the franchise into exciting new territory.
09:29Only instead of doubling down on FN-2187,
09:32the story largely sidelined the wisecracking one-time First Order member in the wake of that first Episode 7 outing,
09:38with Finn often being sent on pointless side missions and being reduced to little more than comedic relief for the most part.
09:43Boyega himself was also quick to note how he felt Finn was pushed to the side later down the road,
09:48admitting that Disney gave all the nuance to the likes of Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley,
09:52and I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race,
09:57when talking to GQ about his time in the galaxy far, far away.
10:01And when assessing how each of the main feature character's arcs progressed over the course of said sequels,
10:05it's hard to argue with Boyega being completely short-changed on the compelling and detailed character front in comparison to his contemporaries.
10:12And that's our list of any other actors completely wasted in Star Wars.
10:16Let us know all about them in the comment section right down below,
10:18and do not forget to like, share, and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
10:22Also, if you like this kind of thing, then head on over to WhatCulture.com
10:24and find some more awesome articles just like the one this video you are watching right now is based on.
10:29I have been Gareth from WhatCulture Star Wars.
10:31May the force be with you.
10:33Thank you for clicking on this video today,
10:34and hopefully I will see your faces very, very soon.
10:37Bye-bye!
Recommended
0:47
|
Up next
1:53
13:05
10:51
10:24
9:29
12:25
10:39
1:07
2:10
2:52
1:27
12:19
11:00
13:01
12:02
12:13
15:53
9:39
10:41
11:13
Be the first to comment