Jodie Foster says she almost played Princess Leia in ‘Star Wars.' Here's why she turned it down

Jodie Foster could have been Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" franchise.

During a Jan. 17 appearance on "The Tonight Show," Foster said she was offered the iconic role when she was younger but she turned it down to star in a Disney movie.

"They were going for a younger Princess Leia but I had a conflict," she said. "I was doing a Disney movie and I just didn’t want to pull out of the Disney movie because I was already under contract so I didn't do it.”

Though Foster didn’t share what Disney film she was working on, it might have been the 1976 feature "Freaky Friday," which starred a teenage Foster as Annabel. The actor also had a busy schedule during that time, appearing in multiple movies that year — including the Martin Scorsese-directed film "Taxi Driver."

“And they did an amazing job,” Foster continued. “I don’t know how good I would have been. I might have had different hair. I might have gone with a pineapple."

Ultimately, the role of Princess Leia went to Carrie Fisher when she starred in the 1977 movie "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope."

The movie was such a big hit that it changed the course of Fisher's career. Since then, Fisher has starred in more "Star Wars" movies like “Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi,” “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi.”

However, in a 2008 interview with TODAY, Fisher said she never wanted to be a celebrity after seeing what fame had done to her parents, actor Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher.

“I watched my parents’ celebrity dwindle .... I saw the heartbreak of celebrity and went, ‘Get me away from that!’” she said.

Fisher noted that she never would have taken on the role of Princess Leia had she known how much fame it would bring her.

“I would have never done it!” she exclaimed. “And all I did when I was really famous was wait for it to end because I knew that was coming up.”

In December 2016, Fisher died from a heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles. She was 60.

As for Foster, the actor has also had a notable career during her time in Hollywood, including winning two Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She’s currently starring in HBO’s crime drama "True Detective: Night Country," and recently co-starred in the swimming biopic "Nyad." 

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