Inktober Redux 2022 - Day ?! - Toshiro Mifune, Star Wars

Inktober Redux 2022

Day ?! - ok , I fell behind, but we’re back with this series which I think I’m going to continue to push forward either way as I’ve been really enjoying it. Having said that…STAR WARS 1977…It’s well known that George Lucas was a fan of Akira Kurosawa’s work and fashioned the SW universe and characters off many of Kurosawa’s films, especially 1958’s The Hidden Fortress, which starred Toshiro Mifune as General Makabe Rokurōta. When casting Star Wars, Lucas approached Mifune and offered him the role of Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. Mifune turned down the role as he felt the it would lessen his legacy and pride in his Samurai roles and films, since many of the sci fi films of the era looked cheap in production value. Kudos to Lucas for thinking outside the box in casting a major role with a person of color, and while understanding the reasons Mifune declined, imagine the impact and legacy of an actor of Mifune’s stature could have had for not just Japanese but Asian children in general in such an iconic role.

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