Leonardo DiCaprio Says He Met for a Galaxy-Far-Far-Away Role—and Passed! Here’s Why

Leonardo DiCaprio has never chased every shiny franchise dangling in front of him. Across his career he has picked projects carefully, even when the biggest brands in Hollywood came calling.

That approach meant some surprising near misses along the way. He has talked before about taking meetings on major studio roles while deciding to keep his focus elsewhere for a while.

The clearest example sits in a galaxy fans know by heart. DiCaprio confirmed he sat down about a role in ‘Star Wars’ and ultimately walked away. In a resurfaced conversation, he said he met on the part that would later define the prequels and chose to pass.

Asked directly if he had been in talks to play Anakin Skywalker in the prequel films, he answered, “I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that as well, yes.” Pressed on why it did not happen, he explained, “Again, just didn’t feel ready to take that dive. At that point.” Those are his words, and they line up with how he has described that moment before.

The role of Anakin would go to Hayden Christensen, who has since said he assumed the part was headed to someone more famous once he heard who else was in the mix. “That just confirmed my thought that the role would go to another actor,” Christensen recalled of learning DiCaprio had met about it.

DiCaprio’s selectiveness was not limited to the galaxy far away. In the same chat, he reflected on a sit-down about playing Robin in ‘Batman Forever’ and made it clear he was not ready to suit up. “I never screen-tested. I had a meeting with Joel Schumacher. It was just one meeting and, no, I didn’t end up doing it.” He also said, “Joel Schumacher is a very talented director but I don’t think I was ready for anything like that.”

He kept a similar distance from another era-defining franchise. When the topic turned to ‘Spider-Man’, he called it “another one of those situations” and said the timing was not right for him then either. That decision eventually opened the door for his close friend Tobey Maguire to sling webs on screen.

Looking back, it is easy to see a through line. After ‘Titanic’, DiCaprio moved toward filmmakers and stories that let him reset his on-screen identity. Stepping into a massive myth like ‘Star Wars’ might have locked him in at a moment he preferred freedom. The quotes above show it was less about fear and more about fit.

Fans will always wonder about the alternate timeline where DiCaprio pilots a Jedi starfighter in ‘Attack of the Clones’. What we know for sure is simple. He met. He thought it through. Then he said no. And given how his choices have stacked up since, it is hard to argue he misread the moment.