Actresses That Nearly Played Princess Leia

Even now, nearly 50 years after the release of "Star Wars: A New Hope," you would be hard-pressed to find a character more beloved or iconic than Princess Leia Organa. Throughout the original "Star Wars" trilogy, Leia proves time and time again to be one of the most resourceful and interesting heroines in all of cinema — by turns an undercover spy, a ferocious revolutionary, and a veritable action hero, finally finishing up her formidable arc in the later films as a general in the Resistance against the remnants of the Empire known as the First Order.

Part of Leia's lasting appeal is of course due to the fiery performance of the late Carrie Fisher, who helped breathe life into the character whom George Lucas himself called the "true hero" of the original film. Because Fisher's name has now become synonymous with that of Princess Leia, it's easy to forget that the young actress had to compete against a massive number of other up-and-coming hopefuls for the part.

In fact, most of the actresses who were up for the role of Princess Leia would go on to have incredibly successful film and television careers in the years that followed "Star Wars." It's amusing now to look back and wonder what might have been had these stars actually beaten out Carrie Fisher for this historic role. Here are just a few of the actresses who almost played Princess Leia.

Another rising '70s star who auditioned for "Star Wars" was Amy Irving, who had only been working in Los Angeles since 1975. At the time, Irving had already performed on Broadway in "The Country Wife" and had recently completed her studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Irving achieved almost immediate success upon arriving in Hollywood — securing small roles in television series like "Happy Days" and "The Rookies," and auditioning for the role of Princess Leia Organa in "Star Wars: A New Hope." While she missed out on that part, Irving did manage to score the role of Sue Snell in the 1976 horror blockbuster "Carrie," based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Irving's character tries to make it up to Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) for helping other girls humiliate her in the school locker room, leading to disastrous results and one of horror's greatest shock endings.

Irving's part in "Carrie" would launch an acting career that would span four decades of film, television, and theater, with some of her most famous roles being that of Anna Anderson in "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna," and Hadass Vishkower in "Yentl." If you're curious to know what Amy Irving's version of Leia might have looked like, you'll be happy to hear that her audition is one of the few that has survived online, and is available to watch on YouTube.

Shocking as it might seem, one of the people who auditioned to play Princess Leia was New Wave musician Terri Nunn, best known today as the lead vocalist of Berlin. Nunn auditioned for "Star Wars" in 1975, one year before John Crawford would form a band called The Toys that eventually changed its name to Berlin — a name which the group continues to use right up to the present day. Nunn's audition for Princess Leia is currently available on YouTube, where you can watch the soon-to-be pop star bounce lines off a young Harrison Ford.

As most pop fans will know, Nunn joined the band in 1979 but left shortly after to pursue an acting career once again. She rejoined the band in 1980 and eventually achieved international recognition (as well as an Academy Award) for the chart-topping love song "Take My Breath Away," famously featured in "Top Gun." Nunn continues to serve as the band's primary vocalist in the present day, though her last acting credit dates all the way back to 2007 and an episode of the short-lived MTV series "Kaya."

As was the case with Carrie Fisher, actress Linda Purl was relatively unknown when she auditioned for the part of Princess Leia in 1975. In fact, Purl's first major acting role came that same year, when she starred in the comedy "Crazy Mama."

Prior to that film (and her ill-fated audition for "Star Wars"), Purl had several smaller roles on shows like "The Waltons," "Lucas Tanner," and "Happy Days" –- the latter of which would eventually gift her a career breakthrough in 1982. Purl originally appeared in Season 2 of "Happy Days" (playing the infrequent girlfriend of Ron Howard's Richie Cunningham), but her breakout came in Season 10 when she starred as Ashley Pfister, the serious girlfriend of Fonzie (Henry Winkler).

Outside of "Happy Days," Purl has starred in multiple hit shows like "Matlock," Bones," and "Desperate Housewives," and is also well known for playing Helene Beesly — mother of Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and briefly lover of branch manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) — on the beloved NBC sitcom "The Office." You can still watch Linda Purl's audition for Princess Leia on YouTube, and though she has enjoyed long-lasting success in the industry, one has to assume that her career would have taken off much quicker had she secured the part in "Star Wars."

Perhaps the biggest name on this list, acting legend Meryl Streep was reportedly considered for the role of Leia before the part eventually went to Carrie Fisher. Online reports indicate that Streep actually auditioned for the part, which would have been a major step forward for the actress since (at the time) she was primarily known for her work on the stage. 

Like many of the names on this list, Streep's acting career experienced a serendipitous breakthrough almost immediately after missing out on the role of Princess Leia — earning a Tony Award nomination in 1976 for "27 Wagons Full of Cotton," followed by Oscar wins for "Kramer vs Kramer" in 1979 and "Sophie's Choice" in 1982. Streep has gone on to become one of the most prolific actresses of all time, with a stream of award-winning or nominated roles in films like "Silkwood," "Out of Africa," "Postcards from the Edge," "The Devil Wears Prada," and "The Iron Lady."

Even Carrie Fisher was shocked to hear that Streep had once auditioned for the role of Princess Leia on top of everything else she'd accomplished. "Bulls***," Fisher said to The Daily Beast after learning she supposedly beat out Streep for the part. "I've never heard that one." Though Streep's career hardly skipped a beat after missing out on "Star Wars," it certainly would have been interesting to see her take on this beloved character.

While some members of this list may have surpassed her in the later stages of their career, one could argue that Jane Seymour was (at the time) the most famous actress to be considered for the role of Princess Leia.

Though many auditioners would experience a career breakthrough post-"Star Wars," Seymour was already an international star when auditions were being held in 1975. She had risen to worldwide prominence with her performance as the Bond girl Solitaire in 1973's "Live and Let Die" — a psychic who betrays Dr. Kanaga (Yaphet Kotto) in order to assist James Bond (Roger Moore). While there's no denying Seymour's star power around the time that auditions were held, reports online indicate that Seymour was only considered for the role of Princess Leia, and do not clarify if she auditioned.

What is known about Seymour is that her career continued to skyrocket even after she was passed over for "Star Wars." Seymour appeared in a slew of classic '70s and '80s movie and TV hits like "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger," "Battlestar Galactica," and "Somewhere in Time," before 1993 found her settling into an award-winning six-season run in the title role of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." Jane Seymour continues to act today, with her most recent appearance coming in the Amazon Freevee rom-com "Puppy Love."