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Iconic movie legends, Academy Award-winning sensations, and more actors utterly wasted in Star Wars.
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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 WhatCultureStarWalt 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 from one of the most engaging thespians
01:29in the game today. Yet 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 ultimately left
01:40a universally sour taste in the mouths of Moe's taking in The Last Jedi. Instead of having the unsettling
01:46Strangcast take the franchise by the throat, before planting seeds for a thrilling climax with
01:51Daisy Ridley's Rey and the rest of the Resistance in the trilogy's finale, Serkis' wrinkled villain
01:56was shockingly cut down out of nowhere by Kylo Ren before episode 8's climax. And with Serkis
02:02himself even admitting it was a bit of a shock, but I could see exactly why they were going that route,
02:06before noting how I just wish he'd survived, but who knows? It's clear fans weren't the only ones
02:11who desired a little more from Serkis' time in the Snoke's saddle.
02:148. Lupita Nyong'o
02:17If this list has highlighted one thing up to this point, it's the fact that the sequel trilogy
02:21certainly boasted its fair share of ridiculous talent, and alongside the freakishly gifted
02:26Andy Serkis and Benicio Del Toro, was another unquestionably brilliant performer coming off
02:31one of the most captivating turns of the decade, and an Academy Award winning one at that in 2013's
02:3712 Years a Slave. I am of course talking about the utterly mesmerizing Lupita Nyong'o,
02:42who like Serkis was also thrust into the motion capture landscape during her stint in the galaxy
02:47far far away. But also like Serkis, one of the hottest talents the business had to offer at the
02:52moment in time, wasn't exactly given much time to make a lasting impression as the mysterious
02:57Maz Kanata, despite actually appearing in every sequel flick. All in all, it often felt as though
03:02Disney simply liked the idea of having such an acclaimed performer on the team, and hadn't actually
03:06pieced together a meaningful reason for Kanata coming along for the ride, outside of handing
03:11Rey Luke's lightsaber in The Force Awakens and spouting out chunks of exposition.
03:157. Riz Ahmed
03:17Putting together one of the most diverse and consistently outstanding bodies of work you'll
03:21find in the industry today over the course of the last few years in particular, British acting
03:26sensation Riz Ahmed can pretty much always be counted on to deliver the goods, no matter what dramatic or
03:31comedic material is laid before him. That being said, while his stunning work in everything from
03:35Nightcrawler to Sound of Metal deserves to be hugely praised, and then some, the same sadly cannot
03:41be said for a number of his slightly underwhelming blockbuster appearances to date. And joining his
03:45less than thrilling turn as Venom's Carlton Drake slash Riot, though that was more down to some
03:50uninspired writing than his commitment, it has to be said, was his rather forgettable showing alongside
03:54fellow Rebels Felicity Jones and Diego Luna in 2016's Rogue One. Again, it's not that Ahmed was terrible
04:01by any means, still proving his worth in former Empire pilot Bodhi Rook's few moments in the
04:05spotlight, whilst being tortured by Boer Gullard, for example, but it's hard to escape the feeling
04:10that an actor of Ahmed's pedigree was a little bit wasted here, in the bit part of exposition
04:14spouter and eventual casualty of war.
04:176. Samuel L. Jackson
04:19Coming into George Lucas' highly anticipated return to his galaxy far, far away that was 1999's The Phantom
04:25Menace, you'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
04:35around the time. And with said turns showcasing the sort of undeniable charisma that only Jackson
04:41seemed able to conjure up in front of a movie camera, it was assumed that the captivating actor
04:45would 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,
04:57and an all-round bland personality when donning the robes of the all-powerful Jedi Master throughout
05:02the prequels. And while he at least boasted Aga be the coolest lightsaber in the game,
05:07the fact his only real highlights came when his mouth was entirely shut tells the story of a
05:11usually riveting performer utterly underutilized to say the least.
05:155. Natalie Portman
05:17And sticking with some of the 90's most talented faces not exactly being served up the chance to
05:22bring their true capabilities to the intergalactic table, Leon the Professional's Natalie Portman's
05:28casting in the role of Luke and Leia's eventual mother Padme Amidala was the sort of no-brainer
05:32that felt like a can't-miss opportunity to add yet more unquestionable acting pedigree to an already
05:37stacked roster of prequel players. However, like Samuel L. Jackson, Portman was largely restricted
05:43during her Star Wars spell, and became increasingly sidelined as the films went on. Simply put,
05:48a 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
05:58childbirth of a broken heart. And with Portman herself remarking how the films negatively impacted
06:04her career for a spell in the wake of their disappointing release, confessing everyone
06:07thought I was a horrible actress after their arrival, it's clear the Oscar nominee is in agreement
06:12with 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
06:24of the galaxy at the peak of her powers, Game of Thrones standout Emilia Clarke also learned
06:29the hard way that simply signing up to appear opposite Han Solo isn't enough to guarantee
06:33a meaty Star Wars meal to get her teeth sunk into. Taking up the spot of Solo's first real
06:38love interest by the name of Kira, Clarke's Crimson Dawn Lieutenant definitely housed the potential
06:43to be another significant strong and layered female presence within a live-action galaxy often
06:48lacking in that department. Yet despite undoubtedly acting as one of Solo A Star Wars Story's few
06:53glimmers of hope, and setting the stage for further interactions with fan-favourite presence
06:58more late on, the 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 Ark an actor of this
07:15dedication and ability evidently merits. 3. 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, the announcement of some of the most
07:30talented and untouchable action stars currently walk in the face of the Earth being brought aboard
07:35should have paved the way for a wave of out-of-this-world combat sequences within the director's
07:40section of the galaxy. Freaking stormtroopers from pillar to post, wielding lightsabers in a way
07:44that made the prequels' freakishly athletic showings seem pedestrian in comparison, the possibilities
07:49were endless for the likes of the raids Eco-UA, Yayaan Ruhayan, and Sussepa Reef Rahman in this
07:54intergalactic setting. Yet 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
08:12in the runtime, so 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
08:21stab at the all-round partisan badass that is Saw Gerrera in this year's Andor will be music to
08:27most Star Wars fans' ears in 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
08:36Rogue One, Whitaker's actual involvement in the original trilogy prequel flick boiled down to
08:41little more than a few flickers of madness, before 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
09:01thus far, with many hoping that his rumored Andor appearance will finally give the acting
09:05Titans 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
09:17next chapter of the Skywalker saga, the reveal of John Boyega's former Stormtrooper Finn joining
09:22the good fight throughout The Force Awakens felt like the sort of refreshing development needed to
09:26catapult the franchise into exciting new territory. Only, instead of doubling down on FN-2187,
09:32the story largely sidelined the wisecracking one-time First Order member in the wake of
09:36that first Episode 7 outing, with Finn often being sent on pointless side missions and being
09:40reduced to little more than comedic relief for the most part. Boyega himself was also quick to
09:45note how he felt Finn was pushed to the side later down the road, admitting that Disney gave all
09:50the nuance to the likes of Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley, and I'm the only cast member who had their own
09:54unique experience of that franchise based on their race, when talking to GQ about his time in the
09:59galaxy far, far away. And when assessing how each of the main feature characters' arcs progressed
10:04over the course of said sequels, it's hard to argue with Boyega being completely short-changed on the
10:09compelling and detailed character fronts in comparison to his contemporaries.
10:12And that's our list of any other actors completely wasted in Star Wars. Let us know all about them
10:17in the comment section right down below, and do not forget to like, share, and click on that
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10:24whatculture.com and find some more awesome articles just like the one this video you are watching
10:28right now is based on. I have been Gareth from WhatCulture Star Wars, may the force be with you,
10:33thank you for clicking on this video today, and hopefully I will see your faces very, very soon.
10:37Bye-bye!
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