Star Wars Had One Hilariously Simple Requirement When Casting Boba Fett

For a character that first appeared in animation in the "Star Wars Holiday Special" and had only a few lines in "The Empire Strikes Back," Boba Fett did pretty well for himself. If you're a "Star Wars" fan, you've likely had discussions about the craziness of how a brilliant costume design ended up taking Boba Fett from a side character to a fan favorite with his own series. 

Temuera Morrison, who played Boba's father Jango in the prequels, plays the role in its current form in the Disney+ series "The Book of Boba Fett" as well as "The Mandalorian," giving us more info on Boba and his backstory. This, of course, includes how the bounty hunter working for Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader managed to survive certain death after being thrown into the sarlacc pit in "Return of the Jedi." 

However, back when Boba had only ridden a mythosaur in an animated sequence in a very trippy and profoundly terrible holiday special, the single casting requirement for his appearance in "The Empire Strikes Back" was pretty simple and very funny, according to an issue of Star Wars Insider that came out in 2000. 

While Jason Wingreen voiced the character, the role of playing Boba onscreen in "The Empire Strikes Back" went to Jeremy Bulloch. Bulloch told Star Wars Insider, "I think the secret to playing Boba Fett — if you can say I played it — is the less you do, the better. There is no point in Boba Fett waving his gun around and saying 'Look at me.' He was very cool, and he didn't move much. I thought of Boba Fett as Clint Eastwood in a suit of armor." 

It's funny that he says "If you can say I played it." In fact, his casting didn't actually involve much acting on his part. Even Bulloch said that it was the suit that did the heavy lifting. Still, someone had to be in it. Bulloch added, "Number one, he has respect from people because he captured Han Solo. He answers Darth Vader back, and he also has a fantastic costume — and I was lucky because I fit the suit." That was, in fact, how he got cast. He fit the suit. 

Bulloch (who also played Sheckil, the Imperial officer who grabs Leia on Cloud City) explained that his half-brother — the movie's associate producer, Robert Watts — said he should come try out. "They're looking for people to fit the costume," he said. "Who knows — it could have been a stuntman playing it." 

All the "Star Wars" films and series are streaming on Disney+.