Recasting the Prequels

Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2005-07-02 05:00pm

If you could have recasted the prequel films, who would you recast, and would replace the actor/actress?

Apparently most are unhappy with Natalie Portman's performance. And Lucas's writing. Or was it directing?

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-07-02 05:03pm

Death to Hayden "woodface" Christian!
Seriously, he is easily the worst actor in any Sw movie and one of the worst I have ever seen in recent hollywood years.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-07-02 05:05pm

It is said that Natalie Portman can turn in a good performance with other directors, but not with George Lucas. This is often interpreted as a criticism of George Lucas. Quite frankly, I interpret it as a criticism of Natalie Portman. It shows that she's an unprofessional person who doesn't put in the effort unless the director babies her.

I don't know why people make so many excuses for actors. If you had an electrician who did good work when somebody carefully watched over him and constantly instructed him in every way but shitty work when given simple instructions and told to use his own judgement, you would not say "oh, the guy who told him to use his own judgement is obviously a horrible boss". You would say "this electrician is an idiot".

Anyway, I would replace Natalie Portman with an inflatable sex doll. It would probably turn in a better performance.

Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2005-07-02 05:07pm

Keira Knightley?

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-07-02 05:24pm

the .303 bookworm wrote:Death to Hayden "woodface" Christian!
Seriously, he is easily the worst actor in any Sw movie and one of the worst I have ever seen in recent hollywood years.

I thought his preformance in ROTS was fine, even good in some places (baring the "hairbrush" scene.)

Replacing Natalie Portman is high on my list though. I don't care if you can act in "realistic" movies, if you can't deal with Scifi and Lucas, find other work.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-07-02 05:28pm

Natalie wasnt horrific, she was just mediocere, in ROTS thogh she was terrible.
One of the main problem's was the utter lack of any kind of chemistry between her and Hayden, and Hayden acting more "angstily" and "whiningly" than even most Anime characters, anyone who didnt cringe at the' your soft skin unlike the harsh sand's of my homeworld' need's their brain examined.

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2005-07-02 05:37pm

Battlehymn Republic wrote:Keira Knightley?

Ah because she played a handmaiden, good call.

Aquatain · Post by **Aquatain** » 2005-07-02 05:39pm

I would rather replace Lucas with Ang Lee in the Dirrectors chair.

Battlehymn Republic · Post by **Battlehymn Republic** » 2005-07-02 05:47pm

Kurgan wrote:
Battlehymn Republic wrote:Keira Knightley?
Ah because she played a handmaiden, good call.

How was she in Pirates? And, of course, she's near-identical appearance-wise to Portman. They could have switched spots.

And she's hot.

Cal Wright · Post by **Cal Wright** » 2005-07-02 08:07pm

Keira Knightely in Pirates is fucking awesome. She had an incrediable performance.

The more I think about it, and re watch, I think I dislike Portman more and more. There are some parts where she is just spot on, especially in TPM, but the chemistry just isn't really there. She was great in Garden State. I don't know who to put in her place. maybe Keira Kinghtely, especially since she's willing to do a topless. (You played a stripper Portman, be the part!!!)

Hayden was awesome. It was a great connection of Anakin to Luke, with hte obvious Anakin being selfish more so. His RotS is just fucking brilliant in many places. His choice at Mace's and Palpatine's showdown, you could see it and feel it. Just over all he was strong in this movie. Wong has said it before and I'll echo it. People that mimic the 'Wooden Christiansen' shit need to watch the movie and stop parroting.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2005-07-02 09:32pm

Darth Wong wrote:It is said that Natalie Portman can turn in a good performance with other directors, but not with George Lucas. This is often interpreted as a criticism of George Lucas. Quite frankly, I interpret it as a criticism of Natalie Portman. It shows that she's an unprofessional person who doesn't put in the effort unless the director babies her.

I don't know why people make so many excuses for actors. If you had an electrician who did good work when somebody carefully watched over him and constantly instructed him in every way but shitty work when given simple instructions and told to use his own judgement, you would not say "oh, the guy who told him to use his own judgement is obviously a horrible boss". You would say "this electrician is an idiot".

Anyway, I would replace Natalie Portman with an inflatable sex doll. It would probably turn in a better performance.

You also have to realize that, in the end, it's the director who chooses what appears on-screen and directs the actors. If Lucas kept steering Portman toward a progressively more wooden performance, there's not a whole lot she can do about it.

On the other hand, Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid were both good in Episode III, so Lucas obviously did okay directing them. Why was it just Portman and Christesnen's acting that seemed to suck?

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2005-07-02 09:38pm

Haley Joel Osmont instead of Jake Lloyd. That much should be obvious.

Perseid · Post by **Perseid** » 2005-07-02 09:45pm

Whilst this may sound like a "me to" i think Portman should have been replaced. She never puts any heart into the role, and IIRC she hadn't even seen the OT before she got the part in TPM. Just in general she showed a distinct lack of interest in the story and in the role itself, I think the only reason she agreed to carry on was the fact that
1. she was becoming increasingly famous for her role in SW
2. Lucas probably had it written into her contract that she would have to play the role for 3 films.

Hayden Christiansen was excelent in RotS, however his performance in AotC seems to be more of a whiney shit, i know thats how it was written but he comes across as a little too whiney for my personal tastes. However despite this I would still have kept him in AotC for the simple fact you can always make something better, and maybe with a little encouragement he could rise above the script and not appear to be a whiney shit.

Of course the only person that could really replace Portman has got to be Kiera Knightley, she just looks more like the Padme should look in my mind than Portman does.

One change I would make would be to have "BMF" inscribed on Mace Windu's lightsabre.

Mr. T · Post by **Mr. T** » 2005-07-02 10:00pm

Mr CorSec wrote: she hadn't even seen the OT before she got the part in TPM.

Mr CorSec wrote: One change I would make would be to have "BMF" inscribed on Mace Windu's lightsabre.

I'm pretty positive that it actually was inscribed on the bottom of his lightsaber at the request of Samuel L. Jackson. Obviously this wouldnt have been shown clearly in the film though.

Srynerson · Post by **Srynerson** » 2005-07-02 10:04pm

Mr. T wrote:I'm pretty positive that it actually was inscribed on the bottom of his lightsaber at the request of Samuel L. Jackson. Obviously this wouldnt have been shown clearly in the film though.

According to Jackson it was added after filming: +http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed ... %20jackson

Thrilled Jackson explains, "There's a lot of lore that goes along with Star Wars and I guess because I've been know since Pulp Fiction as a bad motherf**ker, everybody thought that should be on my light sabre.

"The guys did finally put it on there but, when I was doing the film, I didn't have it on. When they finally killed me and they gave me my light sabre, the guys, who make them, changed the piece that turns the light sabre on and it actually has BMF on it."

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-07-02 11:14pm

Natalie Portman, no question. Hayden was actually GOOD in Episode III, and his performance in Episode II is slowly growing on me. He worked with what was given to him with all his effort, and he is a big fan.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-07-03 12:47am

the .303 bookworm wrote:Death to Hayden "woodface" Christian!
Seriously, he is easily the worst actor in any Sw movie and one of the worst I have ever seen in recent hollywood years.

Congratulations for mindlessly repeating the Hollywood film-critic party line. Got any genuine thoughts in that head of yours?

Instant Sunrise · Post by **Instant Sunrise** » 2005-07-03 02:08am

I thought that Ewan Mcgregor fit his role PERFECTLY, and was able to transition to Alec Guinness of the originals really well. He was REALLY committed to his role, and it shows.

Jake Lloyd is gone, there is NOTHING that would lead you to believe that he will some day become Darth Vader, Hayden was able to pull of SOME of that subtlety really well, especially in ROTS. Lloyd comes off as your average little kid who is afraid and leaving the only world he's ever known, I'd have someone in their mid-teens who can come across as cruel and sadistic, and uses The Force for his own personal sadistic pleasure, such as using the Jedi Mind trick on Watto. The type of kid who pulls the wings off of insects to see what they do. NOT be happy and cheerful and saying "Yipee!". I would cut Anakin's dialog to the bare minimum, and re-use some classic trilogy Vader quotes. However, Hayden could be less angsty in AOTC.

I'd replace Portman with someone who takes acting a little bit more seriously while on-set and in-character. Being able to work with the other actors is a MUST, there HAS to be chemistry between them, otherwise the movies will fall apart. Hamill, Fisher and Ford were not very serious on set, but they could work well together, even if their acting was not the best in the world, and that made all the difference between the two trilogies. Portman can act, she just has to be babied on set, not good.

Then again, it's hard to walk up to a green-screen and say "What a piece of JUNK!".

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2005-07-03 02:31am

skyman8081 wrote:Jake Lloyd is gone, there is NOTHING that would lead you to believe that he will some day become Darth Vader, Hayden was able to pull of SOME of that subtlety really well, especially in ROTS. Lloyd comes off as your average little kid who is afraid and leaving the only world he's ever known, I'd have someone in their mid-teens who can come across as cruel and sadistic, and uses The Force for his own personal sadistic pleasure, such as using the Jedi Mind trick on Watto. The type of kid who pulls the wings off of insects to see what they do. NOT be happy and cheerful and saying "Yipee!". I would cut Anakin's dialog to the bare minimum, and re-use some classic trilogy Vader quotes. However, Hayden could be less angsty in AOTC.

Wow. You missed the whole point of the entire series, didn't you? If Anakin had been a sadistic bastard from the beginning, then how could Luke have found the good in him? The Star Wars saga is about how an otherwise good, if flawed, person can turn to evil and then be redeemed, which would have gone completely out the window if Anakin had been evil right from the beginning.

SpacedTeddyBear · Post by **SpacedTeddyBear** » 2005-07-03 02:51am

I'd replace Portman as well. Not to say she's a bad actor, but it seems as though she didn't put as much of an effort into her role as she could of. If you were to compare her work in The Professional to her work in the Prequels, you can see how much better her character would have been.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2005-07-03 04:33am

HemlockGrey wrote:Haley Joel Osmont instead of Jake Lloyd. That much should be obvious.

Im afraid it is not so obvious. I would have preferred Hayden as Anakin in TPM. This of course, would necessitate a rewrite of TPM to account for this - for which, I would be delighted.

About the only actor I thought was weak, and thus should be replaced, was Natalie Portman.

Itô Doeblin · Post by **Itô Doeblin** » 2005-07-03 08:11am

Durandal wrote:
Darth Wong wrote: It is said that Natalie Portman can turn in a good performance with other directors, but not with George Lucas. This is often interpreted as a criticism of George Lucas. Quite frankly, I interpret it as a criticism of Natalie Portman. It shows that she's an unprofessional person who doesn't put in the effort unless the director babies her.

I don't know why people make so many excuses for actors. If you had an electrician who did good work when somebody carefully watched over him and constantly instructed him in every way but shitty work when given simple instructions and told to use his own judgement, you would not say "oh, the guy who told him to use his own judgement is obviously a horrible boss". You would say "this electrician is an idiot".
You also have to realize that, in the end, it's the director who chooses what appears on-screen and directs the actors. If Lucas kept steering Portman toward a progressively more wooden performance, there's not a whole lot she can do about it.

Agreed. Look at Michael Caine's performances in various movies. I could be wrong, but the interviews I've seen related to his movies suggest that even if he picks his movies for the money and the location they're shot at, he always gives at least a professional effort. Yet his performance vary from excellent (say, The Cider House Rules) to downright abysmal (say, On Deadly Ground). Frankly, in the latter case I find it far easier to believe that Steven Seagal asked for an utterly one-dimensional bad guy than that Mr. Caine wanted his character to be a caricature of a villain better suited to a Sunday morning cartoon.

I also think that the example of the electrician is ill-chosen. An electrician can look at the finished result of his work and judge it according to pretty much objective criteria. I think that for an actor it is much more difficult to step outside his performance and evaluate it objectively.

To give an example: a friend of mine does groupdancing, and a few years ago there was a time when her trainers were obviously not satisfied with her performance, yet all their criticism didn't bring any progress (and it was certainly not for lack of trying on my friend's part; she was very unhappy with the situation).

Then one training session was videotaped, the trainers showed each dancer what they looked like on the tape, and my friend could actually see the problem with her performance. Simply put, her trainers had failed to communicate what was really wrong with her performance. After she had seen it herself, her performance quickly improved.

(Looking back at this paragraph I realize one could blame Miss Portman for not doing the same thing, i.e. looking at her performance on the dailies. Did the actors have access to the already filmed material? Still, I'd say it's difficult for an actor to assess his or her own performance immediately after giving it, because of the emotional investment in said performance.)

I think this is one reason why people are willing to blame directors for weak acting: an actor usually has to rely on the director to evaluate his acting, because he (the actor) is too close, has too much emotional investment in his performance to make a correct assessment. And when the director fails in this job -- or even points the actor in the wrong direction -- the blame should be laid on him.

Which is not to say that I think Miss Portmann is entirely blameless. Her attitude certainly left a lot to be desired, even if she was working under less then perfect circumstances.

Have a nice day, Itô

Mr. T · Post by **Mr. T** » 2005-07-03 09:11am

skyman8081 wrote:Jake Lloyd is gone!"

I can't believe I forgot about him. I agree that Jake needs to be gone and fast. Not for the reasons you specified however, it's just that (and Lucas gets the majority of the blame for this) some of his dialogue was truly the worst I've ever seen e.g "Let's try spinning, that's a good trick!"

. Obviously he didn't write the dialogue, but his delivery often just made it worse than it already was. Besides this I just plain never believed his performance, their are tons of child actors that would have done a much better job I'm sure, but Lucas picks the kid from "Jingle all the way"

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-07-03 11:14am

Itô Doeblin wrote:Which is not to say that I think Miss Portmann is entirely blameless. Her attitude certainly left a lot to be desired, even if she was working under less then perfect circumstances.

Have a nice day, Itô

Not "entirely blameless"? What are you, Portman's publicist? Have you ever seen an interview when she talked about any work she did in preparing for the role, or trying to understand the character? She didn't give a shit, and it showed onscreen. That's gross unprofessionalism at best, and a petulant baby at worst.

She strikes me as one of those people, like a spoiled athlete, who only puts in effort if it will boost individual stats and garner individual awards. If it isn't something The Academy will take seriously, then she just brushes it off as a way to spend time and make a fast buck. So unless Lucas babied her (and possibly even if he did), she was going to put in a shit performance.

Itô Doeblin · Post by **Itô Doeblin** » 2005-07-03 12:27pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Itô Doeblin wrote:Which is not to say that I think Miss Portmann is entirely blameless. Her attitude certainly left a lot to be desired, even if she was working under less then perfect circumstances.
Not "entirely blameless"? What are you, Portman's publicist? Have you ever seen an interview when she talked about any work she did in preparing for the role, or trying to understand the character?

No and no. The only interview I've ever seen regarding the prequel trilogy was one with Rick McCallum.

Darth Wong wrote: She didn't give a shit, and it showed onscreen. That's gross unprofessionalism at best, and a petulant baby at worst.

I didn't know it was that bad. In the interviews I've read she did give some strange answers (such as referring to her part in Episode II as a minor supporting role), but most of it was by-the-numbers movie selling talk that didn't show a blatant "I don't give a shit"-attitude.

Have a nice day, Itô