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Dune: Part Two star Christopher Walken has recalled auditioning for Han Solo in Star Wars – opposite Jodie Foster's Princess Leia.
Of course, the roles ultimately went to Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, though Walken's role as the Emperor in Dune 2 means he's finally had the chance to join a massive sci-fi universe.
"I think it was for Han Solo,” Walken told Vanity Fair. "Yes, I auditioned for it. And if I'm not mistaken, my partner in the audition was – I think this is true – it was Jodie Foster."
The duo even spent some time on screen together. "I think we did a screen test. I'm not sure we did a scene. Maybe we just sat in front of, in those days, those old videotape cameras," Walken commented. "We might have just sat there and did the name, rank, and serial number type of thing. I would say that, Yes, I did audition for Star Wars, but so did about 500 other actors. It was lots of people doing that."
George Lucas actually offered Foster the role of Leia, but the actor couldn't take it thanks to already being contracted for another Disney movie.
Walken, though, holds no hard feelings. "I mean, I auditioned for Love Story, for Star Wars. But it's probably just as well that I didn't get either one of them," he added.
In Dune 2, Walken plays the stately Emperor Shaddam IV, father of Florence Pugh's Princess Irulan. Other newcomers to the cast include Austin Butler and Léa Seydoux, while Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and more return to their roles from the first Dune movie.
Dune: Part Two is in theaters now. For more, check out our deep dives on:
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- Director Denis Villeneuve on why there is a bigger focus on Chani
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- Actor Stellan Skarsgard on playing the villain
- Actor Stellan Skarsgard on working with Austin Butler
- How Dune 2 brings motherhood into the focus in a powerful way
