William Katt's Star Wars Audition with Kurt Russell

[@ShadeViking7]

The Greatest American Jedi And Snake Solo.

[@sarcanicus1]

sounds crazy enough to work and who would they be fighting

[@collegeman1988]

Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker received his father’s lightsaber from Ben Kenobi, but lost the instruction manual. It’s now up to Robert Culp to help him!

[@donovanchase6086]

collegeman1988 BRILLIANT lol!

[@billc5378]

@@collegeman1988 And rescue Connie Seleca from the death Star with the help of the green guys and his students. "You may Fire when ready", "Freeze Tarkin, FBI!"

[@Pimp-Master]

Lucas being a little miffed, “where we shooting from? We’re shooting from everywhere.”

[@koalasarah]

Both Katt & Russell did great readings. I think that Katt would've made a good Luke. Russell's take on Solo is just different. I'm so glad that Harrison got the role because we probably wouldn't have had that sarcastic swagger in the Solo part without him. And we wouldn't have had that subtleness of his heart of gold within that part either.

[@franohmsford7548]

Harrison Ford talked Lucas into changing the script - I don't see Kurt Russell doing that! But Katt would have been a great Luke.

[@camcordernonsense5264]

I could see the Kurt Russel delivery and anti authority with sarcasm presentation as han solo

[@BenjaminGessel]

Kurt Russell had less “swagger” than Harrison, sure, plus, Russell seemed more “explosive” at times. (There is that “blue collar” element at work here with Kurt, Harrison as well, but Harrison had a way of making you feel humorously/sympathetic to him/how he played Solo/the situations he got wrapped up in…. 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁. Kurt is very much “aw shucks”, and a tad more machismo stubbornness perhaps. 😄😄😄. Kurt was PERFECT in Overboard, Big Trouble in Little China, etc., but yeah, I dunno, maybe a tad too “rustic” for the role in a way… William Katt can be quite serious sounding when he is simply trying to show thoughtfulness, mulling things over inside, etc. Yeah, Mark H. had a LOT more energy and enthusiasm when playing Luke, no question. I definitely see why George went with Harrison and Mark. But William Katt was still good in a way. (Did he do other space fantasy type roles?). I know, I know, he ended up being The Greatest American Hero. 😁😁😁😁😁 Also, Kurt Russell is a bit like Bill Paxton, no question. Maybe Dennis Quaid is in that same Russell/Paxton club. Sam Elliott as well? Tommy Lee Jones? Clint Eastwood? Ah, maybe we’re getting too much into westerns with that train of thought. Just need Val Kilmer, Gene Hackman, a little Kevin Costner maybe…. Robert Duvall…. 🤣😂🤣😂😂. OLD Jeff Bridges… With the Burt Reynolds/Jerry Reed/Dom DeLouise, the rat pack, that’s a completely different element, though there are some interesting comparisons with Harrison playing Hans Solo and Reynolds’s character in Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit, etc. And Tom Selleck is another hunky dark haired leading man, sure, but Tom is just/was just too… “nice” to play Han…. 🤣😂🤣😂. Yes, he did play Quigley in Quigley Down Under…

[@pam0626]

William Katt is so good here!

[@celticjewel913]

I WISH THAT KATT HAD PLAYED SKYWALKER. TOO BAD THEY COULD NOT HAVE MADE AN ADDITIONAL VERSION WITH THESE TWO (A "STAR WARS 2.0." PEOPLE WERE JUST NOT THINKING ALONG THOSE LINES BACK THEN.)

[@AdamPalatine]

I like Katt as Luke.

[@rogermckay4710]

He's too reserved for a teen aged boy to me. I think Mark was the right choice out of the examples I have seen.

[@teeahtate]

@@rogermckay4710 I agree.

[@88feji]

Mark Hamill had an innocent naivety that made the role really endearing ... Katt's Luke Skywalker seems a little wooden compared to Hamill ...

[@kaylakarrion9885]

@@rogermckay4710I agree as much as I love Katt, Mark was more innocent and youthful.

[@LordSzabonight]

Katt is amazing !!!

[@silverfish1]

Kurt Russell is amazing. Always has been...always will be.

[@Astraldragon1]

it's interesting to see the different actors who tried out for Star Wars before they settled on the actors we all know and love.

[@baronvg]

Regardless of the audition, I think it's safe to say that had Kurt Russell been cast as Solo, he would have been WAY kinder to the role over the next 30 years than Harrison Ford EVER was.

[@67psychout]

True

[@why2607]

After watching this and then Mark Hamill's audition, to me there is simply no contest. Hamill's was by far the best audition for Luke. Katt may be a fine actor but he lacked the innocence, naivety but underlying strength and intelligence that Hamill bought to his audition. Katt seemed far too worldly and experienced to play a farm boy about to go on his first adventure. Hamill was saying his lines with sincerity and thought behind each one. Katt was very good but there was a sense of unbelievability to his work. The fact Kurt Russell made a better Luke is very telling! In the end, Lucas made the right choice.

[@davidshadman2843]

man, oh man. William Katt is fantastic, but he displayed too much completion of the hero's journey in his take on Luke. His Luke seems to be very mature, almost to the point where the stakes don't seem as high when he is describing his plans to Han. He acted too confident, and didn't play off Han's skepticism enough, in my opinion. Regardless, this is amazing. Both fantastic actors in history and to this day.

[@brianp6682]

I could see Katt as Luke. The signature of the Skywalkers is a hot temper, and Katt effectively raised his voice and got heated in this audition. Katt also borderlines on dominating the scene which is a slightly different take, but very acceptable because he is Vader's son. I could see Obi-Wan being very concerned at how dominant the Katt version is in conversations.

[@AmandaKayHowell]

That hair!

[@jonathangrant6138]

They both would have been great in the movie! However so happy that Harrison and Mark won the roles!!!!

[@MearickLee]

Omg, Greatest American Hero and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes together... ❤

[@crazysingingchick]

MearickLee The Computer Wore The Jammies? 😁

[@Tuning_Spork]

Wow. When they switched roles at the end, it was so-o-o-o-o-o much better.

[@JJDBaca]

Greatest American Hero in Little China

[@collegeman1988]

At the time of this audition, Kurt Russel was still acting in silly movies for Disney. Snake Pliskin was about 6 or 7 years in the future. An older, more experienced Kurt Russell would have nailed the part, and would have been interesting to watch.

[@collegeman1988]

Just imagine if William Katt was Luke Skywalker and Amy Irving was Princess Leia.

[@devlinasssociatesllc4569]

Somewhere in the multiverse fans are watching Mark Hammil's screen test and going "good actor but I can't see anyone but William Katt in the part he was perfectly cast"

[@celticjewel913]

AMEN! ABSOLUTELY! (Wish that was how it had turned out here.)

[@affema1]

Believe it or not, William Katt auditioned for Star Wars. He never thought it would feel so free. Far and away, he led us astray. Who could it be? Believe it or not, it's just William Katt.

[@NaturaBreeze]

Katt came very close to getting the part apparently....a close 2nd to Hamill :)

[@denisefreitas6727]

William Katt's so cute! I liked Mark Hamill, but i'd like to see William as Luke.❤️

[@thomasjefferson3506]

It's funny seeing Kurt Russel halfway through his transition from Disney to Snake.

[@zncuentertainment712]

This is great!

[@maxigol1977]

The performance here is better than all the acting in the prequels.

[@nexusutube]

This Luke has the confidence of a fully trained Jedi. The movies would have ended at Empire Strike backs after he defeated Vader and the Emperor.

[@ArmandtheWise]

Imagine Harrison Ford and Kurt Russell playing off each other as Han and Luke.

[@louiso.4325]

Both are good. But Russell is too young and Katt is too mature.

[@teeahtate]

Katt is to mature. I agree. Mark Hamill had more nuance in his audition.

[@kimberlywiederhold627]

Good point. William Katt just wasn't right for the part. Kurt Russell was good but lacked the cynicism that the role required.

@@kimberlywiederhold627 thanks Steven Spielberg

[@theresaakins2317]

They needed the more innocent Hamill.

[@hannahlynch8278]

And all three are the same age, funny enough!

[@kw6769]

Both Katt and Russell did amazing jobs. Katt could have done a great Luke but Russell was a bit too young for Han. Still I’m glad Mark and Harrison landed the roles, they just seemed to have the it factor a little better than anyone else for the roles.

[@the_sunlit]

8:47 - Kurt Russell does a good youthful Luke actually, just probably didn't look the part as well as Mark

[@CAVlogs121]

Kurt is too “cool” to play Luke. That character needed an innocence.

[@gloria-du3op]

What a surprise to me! Wow. Live William Katt & Kurt Russell is super too...no pun intended Bill. What a difference Star Wars would have been. But I loved the guys in the original Star Wars. Love Harrison Ford in everything he did & does. Even saw him in an old Gunsmoke episode, he was really young. This was good info, thanks.

[@2822MJ]

I heard George Lucas and Brian De Palma were auditioning at the same time for Star Wars and Carrie so many of the same actors were auditioning for both movies.

[@dbreiden83080]

Kurt does a good job here but I think Harrison had the perfect take on the part. Han was written to be older and much more cynical than Luke. He also was a bit of a smart ass and a little bit arrogant. Harrison just nailed the character and actually you can see Harrison had it down even from his screen test.

[@bringbackfrankblack]

William Katt ended up with the role of Tommy Ross, as George Lucas and Brian De Palma held joint auditions for their 2 films, Star Wars and Carrie. Star Wars was obviously the big winner at the box office, but the low budget horror adaptation of "Steven" Kings novel, Carrie, was an overachiever because Sissy Spacek was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress and Piper Laurie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Sure, Star Wars cleaned-up on technical awards, but nominations for acting? Not even a nomination for Wookiee of the Year.

[@canuck21]

+bringbackfrankblack Even if the actors in Star Wars had given an Oscar-caliber performance, the Academy would not give them a nod because it has always looked down on blockbusters. Do you know of any actors nominations from blockbuster movies? They're very rare if there's any at all.

[@jedijones]

Sigourney Weaver for Aliens and Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart for Titanic. Credit to James Cameron for clearly knowing how to bring out the best in his actors. While Weaver and Winslet are multi-nominated actresses, Cameron got a career-best performance out of Linda Hamilton in T2 and another great performance from an oft-honored actress with Mastrantonio in Abyss.

[@franohmsford7548]

@@jedijones Weaver may have been nominated for Aliens but her performance was deserving of the Oscar itself! It's ludicrous that she didn't WIN!!!

[@EastSide-qc5oy]

@@franohmsford7548 She really did deserve it but at the time it was considered a breakthrough of sorts just to have a performance from a science fiction action film in a major award category, ESPECIALLY an actress in such a role. The Academy were genre snobs. It’s not surprising she didn’t win because the genre likely worked against her at the time unfortunately.

[@daisythorn6908]

"The Greatest Tatooinian Hero"

[@thomasjefferson3506]

"I found a light saber, but I lost the instruction manual."

[@ldortiz626]

They both went to sleep that night believing they crushed this audition and would be in this movie...

[@pledgestone]

Cool. Either or both of these guys could have done a fine job.

[@justinrusso3237]

Man, Kurt Russell would have made an excellent Han Solo. But Harrison Ford's smirk was totally awesome.

[@frankensplean]

Best reading by far is the last one, where they swap roles. They just *look* like they should be the other way around because of our preconceived notions.

[@metatron1970]

It must have been a hard decision for Lucas to decide to go with Hamil for Luke, as Katt could have done it equally as well. It was right not to cast Russell. He was still fighting off his public image as a Disney concoction and wasn't ready for badass parts until at least five years later.

[@auntjojo1980]

metatron1970 yeah Snake Pliskin or whatever his character was in Escape from NY, bad azz in that turned him from soft Disney parts.

[@z.z3925]

@@auntjojo1980 harrison cost 5 to 10 k for first movie russel would cost a couple of 100s.

[@robd1329]

Katt would have been a good Luke...but can you imagine never having Mark hamil as the Joker?? Ford was def meant for Solo!

[@scottaustin8853]

Towards the end when they change parts, I was pretty surprised that Russell played a better Luke and Katt a better Han...

[@hunkatiel]

Where's the one with Rosie O'donnell auditioning for Jabba the Hut and Pewee Herman auditioning for Darth Vader?

[@carlmartin2710]

If Lucas directed William Katt to have some of the restless wide-eyed teenage “kid” qualities Mark Hamill brought, it could’ve worked. He certainly played a convincing teenager as Tommy Ross in CARRIE (though that character was a lot more confident and mature than Luke). I could see him having good chemistry with Carrie Fisher as well. He’s too Zen in this but I bet he had it in him, just needed some guidance from a director. I wonder how much of Hamill’s youthful Luke (that bordered on bratty and whiny) was the actor’s choice/innate traits versus Lucas’ intervention.

[@WishItWas1984]

From what I remember reading/hearing, he was looking for chemistry between people and saw tons of people. Meaning, he wasn't directing anyone to be a certain type. They all just read the scene and that was that. The actor's brought what they brought.

[@carlmartin2710]

@WishItWas1984 Thank you for your insights. My statement about Lucas possibly directing William Katt toward a more “Luke” performance was referring more to the filming of the movie, not the audition. In other words, take Katt as we see him here with no direction, and imagine Lucas casting him and guiding him on set toward the wide-eyed teenager vibe. It seems like something that could’ve worked well, had Hamill not been a factor. I was thinking he must have eventually given the cast some guidance toward the performances we came to know since the audition clip of Mark Hamill (which i commented on) shows him quite different in his audition than the way he finally played the part. (Then again maybe not, as I recall hearing George Lucas was painfully shy and had a reputation for being quiet/standoffish on set).

[@ZyxthePest]

Both decent takes, but that wide-eyed, optimism Hamill had just isn't here with Katt. I think he's a great actor, but he just wasn't in his prime quite yet. He comes off as more snarky, which is a legitimate way to play it, but that's not what made the character for me. I really loved his balance of comedy and drama in House. Considering he had to act against special effects, by himself, for the majority of the movie. Honestly, Kurt Russel's only flaw is his voice, haha. A bit too young.

[@naturalkinkycurlymarie7496]

I like Katt as Luke he would've been great as Luke. I love Hamill and already seen him as Luke so I'm good with him. Had Katt done the Part we wouldn't have know any different.

[@teeahtate]

True. Mark had more optimism and natural nuance in his audition.

[@ThomasSpychalski]

Believe it or not I thought he did better then Hamill. See what I did there? "Believe it or not..." OK, I'm fucking old, who hell even knows that damn theme song, I guess "it's Just me." ;) Plus I believe he is Haden C's kid more then Mark, but not like anybody really had any ideas about that besides in the back of the mind of good old Uncle George's mind perhaps.

[@416mcp]

Thomas Spychalski lol.I am old too.

[@samanthalebeau4268]

+Thomas Spychalski I'm only 25, and even I get that reference :) I never thought I could feel so free-ee-EE!

[@ThomasSpychalski]

Samantha LeBeau Lol...good, now I don't feel so old lol.

[@samanthalebeau4268]

+Thomas Spychalski Greatness knows no age. And both that show and that song are greatness :) More "young" people need to know about the awesome things that came before our time :)

[@JoeBlac]

+Thomas Spychalski He'd be walking on air as Skywalker.

[@moreanimalspirits]

I'm glad they went with Carrie Fisher...

[@Duke_Fleed5]

I like their performance. Probably a good performance for the roles.

[@wesdryden2086]

Kurt Russell killed it

[@EyeShotFirst]

Kurt just wasn't old enough.Maybe if he would've been Big Trouble Little China age, he'd have been perfect. He just still seems too young.

[@rogermckay4710]

Jack Burton as Han Solo? Yeah. I could go for that. Very good analysis, Sir.

[@Richard_John_Dick_Grayson]

7-20-20 The Russell and Katt combination, would have been great too. Katt's Luke could definitely be Christiansen Anakin's son. Russell would have been a really cool Han Solo. But if he would have been in Star Wars, he might not have been cast as Snake Plissken a few years later. Ive loved Star Wars ever since I was a kid, but Ive always been partial to Escape From New York.

[@skeaneable]

perhaps in an alternate universe they have gotten the part.....and it bombed at the box office making Star Trek the greatest sci fi space opera of all times.

[@iamalive.1255]

skeaneable yes and Battlefield Earth was a smash hit. Lol

[@cesarzpontu8886]

There wouldn't be Star Trek the motion picture if not for Star Wars

[@mocrg]

Kurt is really good

[@NaturaBreeze]

Katt came very close apparently...probably 2nd only to hamill :)

[@iansmith8263]

lol, u dont know shit dude hahaha. quit guessing.

[@theresaakins2317]

Its true

[@arashmaharr]

They were casting for CARRIE nearby, where he got the role of Tommy Ross!!

[@muge2]

katt reminds me of hayden actually. only 50x better acting

[@tequilamockingbird532]

Hamill had a wide-eyed innocence about him in his audition that Katt simply didn’t have. Katt was good but perhaps would have brought too much confidence to Luke. I totally understand why George Lucas chose Hamill. He came across as younger, more earnest and, to be blunt, was better looking. Great choice George!

[@celticjewel913]

No way is Mark Hamill better looking than William Katt--Katt was GREAT looking.

[@heymistercarter.]

@@celticjewel913 They were both good looking at the time. Although I don't see how they could've gone with Katt's curls at the time. Given that Tatooine is a desert planet, it wouldn't make sense that Luke would have had THAT kind of hair.

[@celticjewel913]

@@heymistercarter. NO WAY would Katt's curls have been a problem. (If Lucas and Co. were not happy with his then-current locks, they had several options: 1) HAIRCUT; 2) HAIR STRAIGHTENING; 3) WIG.) However, Katt had a GREAT head-of-hair; he would have made one stunning Luke. (His reading for Han Solo was also compelling; I do not think many of us would have had a problem with him playing Solo either. However, that is not meant to be any kind of disparagement of Harrison Ford as Solo; Ford was a worthy pick for Solo. 😊)

[@celticjewel913]

@@heymistercarter. (And...people do not have wavy/curly hair in the desert--?)

[@eruseron]

@rhoadnaroahs Do you reckon prequels were too wordy? I never had that feeling. What ruined them for me were the Gungans rabbit-like designs and the sitcom punch lines in ep2.

[@borumir]

It is hard to think of anyone other than Harrison ford for Han Solo, but I think Kurt Russel would have done a great job, I think he was overlooked because this was when he was still thought of as a disney child actor before he did darker roles like Escape from NY or Big Trouble in little china.

[@jmez927]

What is Katt saying 6:02 ? Sounds important.

[@jadewarlock]

I think you have a very valid point magicalgirl - while I do think Katt could've done well in the role long term (I've seen him do some darker roles), Hamill fit the role better. That said - it was for the best because I CAN'T see anyone else play Ralph Hinkley like Katt did. The only one who came close has been Allen Rueckert, who is an indie actor. Even there he's missing a little bit of the charm.

[@akdoc2003]

They were much better when they changed roles. William Katt actually made a pretty good Han (though I did like his Luke), and Kurt Russell made a much better Luke than Han. He nailed the gee-wiz youngster feeling and Katt was much more mature and worldly. They definitely made the right choices with Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford.

[@ashpaladium9141]

Katt did a great job. I can't get the name Roger Cobb out if my head from the movie "House". Katt is also alot less annoying than Mark Hamill turned out to be.

[@celticjewel913]

AMEN!

[@j-rschmoove]

I actually think Katt is a better actor. Hamill is a better voice actor then onscreen. Katt and Ford, Luke and Han!!

[@jursamaj]

I actually thought they read better with Kurt as Luke and Bill as Han.

[@anikindall]

I agree!

[@Chipohoy]

I think William Katt's way of handling the talking sounds very close to the way Hayden Christensen talked in the prequels

[@peter4252]

Actualy I like Both and Russel could gave been good as well.

[@Khultan]

Is it difficult to imagine that William and Mark could have been twin brothers? They seem to have some resemblance.

[@ivozanette7010]

Liked Kurt as Han Would like to have seen him with Mark

[@ObiKKa]

Leia is happy he did!

[@Teabone3]

Kurt and Ford are equally as good and both perfect. Must have been quite the toss up to pick between the two.

[@fookutube501]

Believe it or not ,im walking on air........

[@atrainofthought99]

William Katt would have been great as Anakin

[@photo80sjeff84]

With that fro, yeah that would've been MST3000 best!!!

[@kamuelalee]

It's okay, one became the Sundance Kid, the other Snake Plissken.

[@maximusaviationchannel]

Russell and kats were the same age.

[@Xenaboy-vt3hi]

This is fun. I suspect most will say Kurt was great but they can't see anyone but Harrison Ford as Han. Well, of course because that's who we saw as Han. In other news, we can't imagine anyone but Kurt as Dexter Riley or as Snake Pliskon. Doh! Because that's the only example we have. We always say things like that. The only real argument I can see is that George Lucas made the decision to go with unknowns as Luke, Han, and Leia and Kurt was already not an unknown.

[@WishItWas1984]

True. I think another huge reason Ford got the role was because Lucas saw him a lot. He read with seemingly everyone. He wasn't auditioning. Yet, it's hard to not see him when he get that much practice with the lines.

[@Whirrrlpoool]

I like Russell's energy as Han. Katt doesn't have the gee-whiz charm for Luke.

[@macsnafu]

Oh, this would have been so different! Not necessarily bad, just different.

[@FreedomforHaiti]

The disclosure that Leia knows the art of mind control could have explained why Vader didn't sense the Force in her (perhaps). ......... It's interesting to hear the term "the Alderean system" (last run-through).

[@musicbreath6757]

Kurt gets the part and maybe no "Tombstone" and probably no Indy. And whatever it was that Katt did.

[@camcordernonsense5264]

Harrison Ford plays Wyatt Erp later. Kurt Russel is the Fugitive

[@JanitorIsBack]

was katt in a hair metal band?

[@thebelissima64]

William Katt was a major hottie.

[@thecoolerx]

XD. the movies would have been rather diferent, hahaha, but I kinda like this version of solo XD.

[@fbodkin1]

Thank god for Harrison Ford. Katt would have been a good Luke though

[@NelsonVlog66]

I've heard Richard Hatch(Streets Of San Francisco, All My Children, and Battlestar Galactica) also auditioned for Luke Skywalker. He was considered too mature for the character.

[@crapstermcduck6593]

Why didn't he get his role?!

[@ClaudeWernerMusic]

Wow! It worked so much better the other way around...

[@CarlosValerioSantos]

Katt's audition must have been done when he was filming "Carrie", the hair is exactly the same. Both Russel and him are great at this reading but Ford and Hamill made the roles unforgetable.

[@girlwithdreams]

No, actually this was joint auditions for both Star Wars and Carrie

[@usctrojans001]

Katt's Luke is as good as Hamill's. Not better just different in a good way. I'd still go with Harrison Ford's Han over Kurt Russell but it's all hindsight now.

[@SamsChanneI]

I'm not sure I think Will's Luke Skywalker did such a great job with the character, but I do think that Kurt Russel did actually a pretty good portray of Han Solo, I think he'd be runner up from Harrison Ford, of course Ford will always be THE Han Solo

[@justinrusso3237]

Hey, it's the "Greatest American Hero." LOL

[@rogerpenna]

"The reason is we don´t have your 5000" "Who's gonna pay me then?" "I think there is somethings we need to talk about" "Like what?" "In your bedroom Han. I can find another way to "pay" you" really, the way the actor said that and the look on his face, it really sounded like the script of some cheap gay porn lol

[@Paul-dz7xi]

Roger Daltry or Robert Plant?

[@ricarleite]

@rhoadnaroahs The auditions used part of the third draft, and part of the fourth draft, which were amazingly badly written and filled with technobabble dialogue. What you see in Star Wars is a heavily edited version of a revised fourth draft. So yeah, when GL is surrounded by yes man, this is pretty much what you get.

[@toddnolastname4485]

I want to travel to the parallel universe where Katt and Russell were Luke and Han and see this movie. But who played Leia? Cindy Williams is the only person in these auditions that I've heard of.

[@RhondaA]

I can totally see Kurt Russell as Han Solo. William Katt's Luke Skywalker feels way too calm and grown up though.

[@JBC814]

Katt is superb, he would have made the perfect Luke.

[@poet279]

John Carraway Nope!

[@robphillips2463]

Kurt Russel as Han??? VERY interesting

[@l0r3st0]

Katt’s audition made an impression. It’s obvious from the way the role of Han Solo was given to him to try. He showed a range of character from naivety to sarcasm/cynicism. I like his expression, “lookit,” which he carried in GAH.

[@timomantere813]

It looks like Tommy Shaw from Styx is auditioning