Tom Holland may be best known for his role as Peter Parker in Marvel Studios’Spider-Manfranchise, but he once had his eyes on another Disney film series. Holland recently revealed that he auditioned for a role inStar Wars, but didn’t get the part because he couldn’t stop laughing.
During an interview withBackstage,Holland explained that he was “four of five auditions in” for the role of ex-stormtrooper Finn in the first ofDisney’sStar Warssequel trilogy,The Force Awakens.TheSpider-Manstar recounts doing a scene where he was exchanging dialogue with the droid character BB8 who, like manyStar Warsdroids, only communicates with gibberish beeping sounds. According to Holland, BB8’s lines were being read by a lady who Holland describes as a “drone.” Despite his best efforts, the actor says he just couldn’t get through the audition without laughing. “I found it so funny. And I felt really bad," Holland explained, “because she was trying really hard to be a convincing android or drone or whatever they’re called. Yeah, I obviously didn’t get the part. That wasn’t my best moment.”
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The role of Finn would eventually go to actor John Boyega, who, after appearing in all three sequel movies, expressed criticism ofDisney’s handling of black characters inStar Wars. In a candid interview withGQ, Boyega stated in regards toDisney’shandling of Finn, “do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.” Boyega has also described being attached to the role of Finn as being placed in “luxury jail”, saying he was “starved” and unable to pursue other projects due to the big commitment required forStar Wars. However, Boyega seems to have moved on from theStar Warsfranchise and has recently earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed anthologySmall Axe.
Despite the botched audition, Holland has gone on to land several other big franchise roles in the years since. In addition to landing the high-profile role of Marvel superheroSpider-Manat the age of 19, first appearing as the web-slinger in 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War,Holland will portray Nathan Drakefor Sony Pictures' long-awaited movie adaptation of the popular video game seriesUncharted. Next month, Holland’sCherry, a film based on a semi-autobiographical book by veteran Nico Walker, will debut on Apple TV Plus.
It’s interesting to think about whatDisney’sendlessly controversialStar WarsSequel trilogy would have been like with Holland in the role of Finn.Disney and Lucasfilm have received a lot of criticismfor their perceived lack of planning when it comes to the sequel trilogy, and Finn’s uneven character arc is amongst those complaints. DespiteStar Warscontinuously being a divisive topic amongst fans, many seem to agree that Boyega was an excellent presence in all three films. There’s also the reality that Holland would likely have never gotten the role ofSpider-Manhad landed the role inStar Wars,and that would be a downright tragedy.
TheStar Warssaga is now available on Disney Plus.
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