The Real Reason Jodie Foster Didn't Play Princess Leia In Star Wars

It's pretty tough for Star Wars fans to picture anyone other than Carrie Fisher portraying the iconic Princess Leia, one of the franchise's most beloved characters. However, it wasn't always a given. Another young actor was approached for the role — one who would become a massive Hollywood star in her own right: "The Silence of the Lambs" lead Jodie Foster.

During an appearance on "The Tonight Show," Foster discussed being offered the role of Leia and why it wasn't meant to be. "They were going for a younger Princess Leia, but I had a conflict," she explained. "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."

The Disney film that Foster is most likely referring to is Norman Tokar's "Candleshoe," which features the actor in the lead role. It premiered several months after "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" in 1977. Foster was between 14 and 15 years old at the time of both films' release — a fair bit younger than Fisher, who was around 21.

While Jodie Foster had the opportunity to jump on the Star Wars train before it became the juggernaut of a franchise it is today, she doesn't regret how things played out. "I don't think I'm going to be on my deathbed going, like, 'Damn! I didn't do 'Star Wars,'" the performer said in a 2007 interview with Empire Magazine (via Vogue).

Foster is also a fan of how "Star Wars" turned out, complete with Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess Leia. "You know, they did an amazing job," she said on "The Tonight Show." "I don't know how good I would have been. I know I might have had different hair."

During the extensive casting process, Foster was just one of many names considered for Leia before Fisher netted the part. That list reportedly includes major names like Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Sigourney Weaver, Farrah Fawcett, and several other famous stars.