Jodie Foster confirmed rumors that she was offered the role of Princess Leia in "Star Wars."
The two-time Oscar winner revealed the story while speaking with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," saying she turned down the part because she was locked into a contract for a Disney movie at the time, according to Variety, which theorized that the movie in question could have been 1976's "Freaky Friday," which was released a year before "Star Wars."
"You've been in so many iconic roles, and we love what you do," Fallon said during the show. "But I saw this on the internet — you were offered the role of Princess Leia in 'Star Wars.' Is that true?"
Foster, 61, confirmed to Fallon that she had been considered for the part and explained why she turned it down.
"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."
The role of Princess Leia went to the late Carrie Fisher, who was 19 at the time of filming. Foster was 13 or 14 when she was offered the part.
"They did an amazing job," Foster said of Fisher, who died on Dec. 27, 2016 at age 60 after suffering a heart attack. "I don't know how good I would have been. I might have had different hair. I might have gone with a pineapple."
Fisher returned as Princess Leia in four more "Star Wars" films: "The Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," "The Force Awakens," and "The Last Jedi." She died before filming her scenes for "The Rise of Skywalker" but unused footage from the set of "The Last Jedi" was incorporated to include Leia in the final film.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.