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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 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
00:39bringing 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
00:54in 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 during Finn and
01:05Rose's unwanted detour to Canto Bight, Del Toro's slicer didn't offer an awful lot to the overall
01:10tale, before 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
01:45unsettling Strangcast take the franchise by the throat, before planting seeds for a thrilling
01:50climax with Daisy Ridley's Rey and 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
02:00climax. And with Serkis himself even admitting it was a bit of a shock, but I could see exactly why
02:05they were going that route, before noting how I just wish he'd survived, but who knows? It's clear
02:10fans weren't the only ones who desired a little more from Serkis's time in the Snoke's saddle.
02:158. 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 Andy
02:27Serkis 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 Ray
03:11Luke'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
03:22find 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
03:30dramatic or comedic material is laid before him. That being said, while his stunning work in
03:35everything from Nightcrawler to Sound of Metal deserves to be hugely praised, and then some,
03:39the same sadly cannot be said for a number of his slightly underwhelming blockbuster appearances
03:44to date. And 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
03:572016's Rogue One. Again, it's not that Ahmed was terrible by any means, still proving his worth in
04:03former Empire pilot Bodhi Rook's few moments in the spotlight, whilst being tortured by Borg Gullit,
04:08for example. But it's hard to escape the feeling that an actor of Ahmed's pedigree was a little
04:12bit wasted here, in the bit part of exposition, spouter, 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 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
04:36the time. And with said turns showcasing the sort of undeniable charisma that only Jackson seemed able
04:41to conjure up in front of a movie camera, it was assumed that the captivating actor would once again
04:45steal the show with his work as Mace Windu from episode one onwards. As you're likely more than aware
04:50of by now though, that most certainly was not the case, with the baddest mother effer in the galaxy
04:55instead being handcuffed by uninspired dialogue, and an all-round bland personality when donning
05:00the robes of the all-powerful Jedi Master throughout the prequels. And while he at least boasted Agape
05:05the coolest lightsaber in the game, the fact his only real highlights came when his mouth was
05:09entirely shut, tells the story of a usually 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
05:22really bring their true capabilities to the intergalactic table, Leon the Professional's
05:27Natalie Portman's casting in the role of Luke and Leia's eventual mother Padme Amidala was the sort
05:31of no-brainer that felt like a can't-miss opportunity to add yet more unquestionable
05:36acting pedigree to an already stacked roster of prequel players. However, like Samuel L. Jackson,
05:41Portman was largely restricted during her Star Wars spell, and became increasingly sidelined as the
05:46films went on. Simply put, a quick glance at Padme's overall arc from episode one to three doesn't make
05:52for the most thrilling analysis. With Amidala going from the ruler of a planet to a lovesick
05:57puppy of sorts before dying in childbirth of a broken heart. And with Portman herself remarking
06:02how 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, it's clear the Oscar
06:11nominee is in agreement with the masses when it comes to the prequels not taking full advantage of
06:15her remarkable talent. 4. Emilia Clarke
06:20Another star seemingly joining up with the various eclectic faces occupying this corner of the galaxy
06:25at the peak of her powers, Game of Thrones standout Emilia Clarke also learned the hard way that simply
06:30signing up to appear opposite Han Solo isn't enough to guarantee a meaty Star Wars meal to get her teeth
06:36sunk into. Taking up the spot of Solo's first real love interest by the name of Kira, Clarke's Crimson
06:41Dawn Lieutenant definitely housed the potential to be another significant strong and layered female
06:46presence within a live-action galaxy often lacking in that department. Yet despite undoubtedly acting
06:51as one of Solo A Star Wars Story's few glimmers of hope, and setting the stage for further
06:56interactions with fan favourite presence more later on, the film's poor box office performance
07:00eventually left Kira in limbo shortly after. And though Clarke has gone on record to state how the
07:05character has unfinished business, and that she's even written out a ton of her backstory and future
07:10plans already, there's still no signs of life when it pertains to giving Kira the returning arc and
07:15actor of this dedication and ability evidently merits. 3. The Raid Stars
07:21In what should have been the biggest open goal in Star Wars casting history in the lead-up to JJ
07:25Abrams' sequels starting The Force Awakens back in 2015, the announcement of some of the most talented
07:31and untouchable action stars currently walking the face of the Earth being brought aboard should have
07:35paved the way for a wave of out-of-this-world combat sequences within the director's section
07:40of the galaxy. Ruiting stormtroopers from pillar to post, wielding lightsabers in a way that made
07:45the prequels' freakishly athletic showings seem pedestrian in comparison, the possibilities were
07:49endless for the likes of the Raid's Eco-UA, Yayamru Haiyan, 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. The group
08:08spend more time retreating from Raftars than handing Star Wars personalities their asses
08:12in the runtime, so what a damn waste that was. 2. Forrest Whitaker
08:17News 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
08:26to most 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 Rogue
08:361, Whitaker's actual involvement in the original trilogy prequel flick boiled down to little more
08:41than a few flickers of madness, before being blasted to oblivion on Jedha. Admittedly,
08:46Whitaker's showings in the likes of the Jedi Fallen Order video game and Rebels animated series as the
08:51controversial Resistance leader helped salvage his otherwise underwhelming first appearance as
08:55Gerrera back in 2016. But the record still shows that he's been largely underutilized on the live-action
09:00Star Wars stage thus far, with many hoping that his rumored Andor appearance will finally give
09:05the acting Titans some meaty material to get stuck into during these early days of the Rebellion.
09:101. John Boyega Taking his place as one of the sequel
09:14trilogy's new set of principal players spearheading the next chapter of the Skywalker Saga, the reveal
09:19of John Boyega's former Stormtrooper Finn joining the good fight throughout The Force Awakens felt like
09:24the sort of refreshing development needed to catapult the franchise into exciting new territory.
09:29Only, instead of doubling down on FN-2187, the story largely sidelined the wisecracking
09:34one-time First Order member in the wake of that first Episode VII outing, with Finn often being
09:39sent 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
09:56their race when talking to GQ about his time in the galaxy far, far away. And when assessing how
10:01each 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
10:10character fronts in comparison to his contemporaries.
10:13And that's our list of any other actors completely wasted in Star Wars. Let us know all about them in
10:17the comments section right down below and do not forget to like, share and click on that
10:20subscribe button while you're at it. Also, if you like this kind of thing, then head on over to
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. Bye-bye!
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