12 Star Wars Characters Who Were Recast

When a series has been around for as long as Star Wars, some aspects of it may start to feel a bit long in the tooth. Come on, there has to be at least one hero in a galaxy far, far away who isn’t at the Skywalker/Palpatine family reunion.

But aside from story elements, it makes sense that some characters would have to be recast when their original actors age out of the roles or simply can’t return. There have been several notable recasts of Star Wars characters over the years, and many of them have been absolutely on point.

12

Sabine Wren

• Notable actors: Tiya Sircar, Natasha Liu Bordizzo

During her first appearance in the animated series Star Wars Rebels, the young Mandalorian artist Sabine Wren was voiced fantastically by The Good Place’s Tiya Sircar. But when the character moved to live-action, a change was due.

Sabine made her live-action debut in the series Ahsoka, where The Society star Natasha Liu Bordizzo took on the role. Both actors nailed the part in their own way, bringing Sabine’s light-hearted yet driven and occasionally haunted personality to life brilliantly.

11

Maul

• Notable actors: Ray Park, Peter Serafinowicz, Sam Witwer

Darth Maul wowed audiences right from the teaser ads for The Phantom Menace, with his intimidating look and double lightsaber. He was actually played by two actors in this film, with physical actor Ray Park portraying him in person and The Tick (the new one) star Peter Serafinowicz providing his voice.

In subsequent appearances, Maul has dropped the Darth and has been pretty much exclusively animated. Days Gone star Sam Witwer has been the voice of Maul ever since, and he does an excellent job bringing the character’s unhinged yet calculating nature to life.

10

Mon Mothma

• Notable actors: Caroline Blakiston, Kath Soucie, Genevieve O’Reilly

Caroline Blakiston played the calm yet driven diplomat Mon Mothma in her first appearance in Return of the Jedi, inspiring countless fans to wonder what the heck a Bothan was. Despite the character being recast, Blakiston still comes to mind first for many fans when thinking of Mon Mothma.

While prominent Rugrats voice actress Kath Soucie voiced Mon for several episodes of The Clone Wars, Irish actress Genevieve O’Reilly has taken on the role in years since, including voicing her in Star Wars Rebels. But she’s perhaps best known for her poignant and powerful performance as Mon in the series Andor.

9

Boba Fett

• Notable actors: Jeremy Bulloch, John Morton, Jason Wingreen, Temuera Morrison

Before the Star Wars prequels and spinoffs, Boba Fett was just this cool dude who didn’t do much but looked rad while doing it. In his movie appearances in the original trilogy, he was portrayed on-screen by Jeremy Bulloch and John Morton while All in the Family’s Jason Wingreen provided the voice.

But ever since, he’s been most notably played by Maori actor Temuera Morrison (who played Boba’s “father” Jango in Attack of the Clones), who even overdubbed Wingreen’s original lines in the Star Wars Special Editions. But Morrison has also made the role his own, adding some much-needed depth.

8

Beru Whitesun Lars And Owen Lars

• Notable actors: Shelagh Fraser, Phil Brown, Bonnie Piasse, Joel Edgerton

Yep, it’s a two-for-one. Owen and Beru didn’t really have much to do in A New Hope before their untimely stormtrooper-related deaths. But they were protective of their adoptive nephew Luke, and actors Shelagh Fraser and Phil Brown nailed that while still adding their own flair to their roles.

When they both returned in younger forms during the prequel movies, Australian actors Bonnie Piasse and Joel Edgerton took on the respective roles. They’ve since returned again in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi, where both added even more complexity to the characters and remain some of the best parts of the show.

7

Ezra Bridger

• Notable actors: Taylor Gray, Eman Esfandi

Voice actor Taylor Gray had a lot of heavy lifting to do when he helped not only bring Ezra Bridger to life, but really tell his story from young troublemaker to Jedi hero of the Rebellion. Of course, as fans of Star Wars Rebels know, he pulled it off and then some.

But when the poorly-kept secret of Ezra appearing in live-action on Ahsoka was revealed, the character needed someone who fit the bill physically. That’s where actor and musician Eman Esfandi came in, and if you didn’t know any better, you could have sworn the actual cartoon character came to life.

6

Hera Syndulla

• Notable actors: Vanessa Marshall, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

When Star Wars Rebels came out, fans quickly found themselves enamored with the ace pilot Hera Syndulla. Her clear care for her crewmates is endlessly endearing, and voice actress Vanessa Marshall brought both her emotional and more lighthearted moments across with equal finesse.

When it came time for Hera to show up in live-action, the role went to Birds of Prey star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and she let no green alien makeup dampen her performance. Her portrayal of Hera’s military prowess and more maternal side with her son felt natural, as did her delightful banter with her droid buddy Chopper.

5

Lando Calrissian

• Notable actors: Billy Dee Williams, Donald Glover

Billy Dee Williams is a truly inimitable personality. So when he joined Star Wars to play Lando Calrissian, the character himself became just as iconic, if not more so. Cool, smooth, and always doing the right thing (eventually), it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role.

Somehow, Donald Glover did it. The Community star and influential rapper absolutely channeled Williams when he played a younger version of Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story. But he still added his own flair, and you could easily see him continuing in the role.

4

Han Solo

• Notable actors: Harrison Ford, Alden Ehrenreich

When you think of Harrison Ford, you think of Han Solo. That’s just how it is, even if Ford himself desperately wishes otherwise. He’s the prime cocky scoundrel in Star Wars’ sea of cocky scoundrels, and characters like the young hotshot Kay Vess wouldn’t even exist without his influence.

So how do you top that? Well, you arguably don’t. Alden Ehrenreich admittedly doesn’t exactly feel like Ford himself in his take on a young Han in Solo: A Star Wars Story. But that’s ok, because he plays the character super well in his own way, and you really feel like he could grow into someone like the Han you know.

3

Ahsoka Tano

• Notable actors: Ashley Eckstein, Rosario Dawson

Despite being initially hated by certain kinds of Star Wars fans who continue to poison your YouTube recommendations, Ahsoka quickly became a favorite among viewers of The Clone Wars, voiced by Ashley Eckstein in that series and Star Wars Rebels to wonderful effect.

Naturally, a jump to live-action requires some changes, and Rent star Rosario Dawson stepped in when Ahsoka showed up in The Mandalorian and her own self-titled series. The character’s peppy nature had given way to a more wise and noble air after she left the Jedi, but Dawson kept just a touch of that for her excellent performance.

2

Obi-Wan Kenobi

• Notable actors: Alec Guinness, Ewan McGregor, James Arnold Taylor

Sir Alec Guinness was already a legendary actor when he played the wizened old Jedi hermit Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. So the stories that he resented how he became more associated with that than his other films are understandable, even if they’re a bit overblown.

Even back when it was cool to hate on the Star Wars prequels, most fans agreed that Ewan McGregor’s take on Obi-Wan was a standout element. He helped enrich the character’s story and personality, but remained faithful and reverent to Guinness’ performance. Voice actor James Arnold Taylor, meanwhile, has been the main voice behind Obi-Wan in his animated appearances for many years now.

1

Anakin Skywalker

• Notable actors: David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, Matt Lucas, Matt Lanter

Few Star Wars characters have gone through as many actors as Anakin Skywalker, and he still somehow cycles through several of them to this day. But before anyone else, there was David Prowse in the suit as Darth Vader and James Earl Jones providing that sweet sweet voice.

Vader has been played by other voices in smaller productions, but it’s his time as Anakin that got more mainstream variety. Jake Lloyd played him as a kid while Hayden Christensen took on teen and young adult duties. Voice actors Matt Lucas and Matt Lanter did their thing in the 2D and 3D animated shows, respectively, with Lanter still occasionally returning for series like Tales of the Jedi.