A Reno 911! Star Auditioned To Play Anakin Skywalker In The Star Wars Prequels

The "Star Wars" prequels were once maligned but, thanks in no small part to the popularity of shows like "The Clone Wars," this era of the beloved franchise has been claimed by a younger generation of fans. Anakin Skywalker is now a marquee character and Hayden Christensen is welcomed by much of the fandom with open arms. That wasn't always the case, but as evidenced by his return in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Ahsoka," it certainly is today. However, in another timeline, a radically different actor could have taken on this pivotal role.

Nick Swardson — yes, the very same Nick Swardson who plays Terry on "Reno 911!" and has worked on several collaborations with Adam Sandler — was among the names who auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones." Yes, really. During an interview on the "We Might Be Drunk" podcast, the actor-comedian revealed that he read for the role for the folks at Lucasfilm, even if he didn't have a lot of faith that it was going to go anywhere:

"This is true. I got a call from my agent ...'They wanna read you for Star Wars.' And I go, 'What do you mean?' They go, 'They wanna read you for Anakin.' And I go, 'Me? Nick Swardson? Nick Swardson. My name.' They're like, 'Yeah, they wanna read you.' And I do, 'I'm a comedian.' They go, 'They don't care, you have a good look for it.' Blah, blah blah."

Swardson then clarified that he didn't read for George Lucas directly. "I just went in and read at Lucas[film] and read for f*****g Anakin," he explained. Even so many years later, he still seemed surprised this happened at all. It's easy to see why, frankly.

Swardson was a little bit older than Christensen at the time of the audition, but he had a young look to him. He was also but one of several actors considered for the role of Anakin besides Christensen, joining the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio. Yes, as difficult as it is to picture the star of "Titanic" and the guy from "Reno 911!" being considered for the same huge role, that's exactly what happened.

Up to that point, Swardson was solely known for his work in comedy. "Reno 911!" hadn't even made it to air yet, so the only things he really had on his resume were bit parts in movies like "Almost Famous" and "Spring Break Lawyer." That's probably why Swardson was surprised to get the call. "I literally go, 'Why am I here?'" he added in the interview. As for how the audition went? To quote Swardson directly:

"I go, 'I'm honored, this is amazing.' But I go, 'You saw me on 'Reno! 911.' You thought maybe Vader would skate around space or something? This doesn't make any sense. I'm never getting this part.' They just laughed."

For whatever it may be worth, Swardson has worked consistently in the years since this audition for "Star Wars," so it's not as though his career tanked or anything. Christensen, on the other hand, worked very selectively for many years after the prequel trilogy wrapped up. But "Star Wars" offers a form of immortality to any artist, even one with a tiny role. Just look at Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch, for example.

Playing Anakin Skywalker, though? That ensures convention appearances and some form of infamy until long after we're all dead. It's truly tough to imagine, with the benefit of hindsight, what "Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" might have looked like with Swardson in the lead role. It is, if nothing else, a fascinating bit of alternate history to consider.

You can grab the "Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Box Set" on Blu-ray from Amazon.