Tupac Shakur Came This Close to Playing a Jedi In 'Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace'
By Scott T. Sterling
It's no secret that at the time of his death, legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was making serious moves in Hollywood, scoring starring roles in such high-profile movies as Juice and Poetic Justice. According to a former employee for Shakur's one-time record label Death Row, the rapper was preparing to become a bona fide Jedi Master with an alleged audition for George Lucas himself in hopes of landing the part of "Mace Windu" in Stars Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace that eventually went to actor Samuel L. Jackson.
The intergalactic revelation came from Death Row's former chief engineer Rick Clifford during an interview with 2pac-forum.com.
"It's sad because 'Pac found out that I worked for Brian Austin Green. who was on (Beverly Hills) 90210, then he found out I was in some movies. So we always talked about his film career and stuff," Clifford explained during the interview with the site. "He was telling me that he was supposed to read for George Lucas and them. They wanted him to be a Jedi. Yes, I'm serious — Samuel L. got Tupac's part.
"Yeah, he called me 'Old Man,'" Clifford added. "He said 'Old Man, keep your fingers crossed, I got three movies coming up. One of them I gotta read for George Lucas'."