‘That Sort of Film Would Bore the Arse Off Me’ — Ray Winstone Insists He Doesn’t Regret Turning Up Drunk to His Audition With George Lucas for Padmé’s Father in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Ray Winstone has revealed how he botched an audition for a Star Wars movie because he turned up drunk. But, as you’d expect from the Londoner best known for his “hard man” roles, he has no regrets.

It turns out Winstone had an audition in front of George Lucas himself for the role of Ruwee Naberrie, Padmé’s father in Star Wars prequel movie Attack of the Clones. But he was out drinking the night before and attended the meeting drunk, which led to an awkward standoff.

“It didn’t go well,” Winstone told Far Out magazine. “Had words and that was that. I’ve worked for George since, and he was fine. He didn’t remember. Or if he did, he didn’t take it to heart.”

Winstone then suggested he was left unimpressed after Lucas failed to tell him he didn’t get the job himself, sending a messenger to deliver the bad – but not unexpected – news instead.

“I’d been out all night, and I turned up, and I knew I was wrong for the part as soon as I walked in, but instead of saying that, he relayed the message to me through someone else, and I took umbrage at that,” Winstone said.

He added that he thought Lucas had jet lag because he yawned during the audition. And then, following a period of silence, Winstone remembered he was asked a question, which sounds more like it was a directive: “Why don’t we both have a 15-minute sleep and then I’ll f**k off?”

Ruwee Naberrie ended up being played by Australian actor Graeme Blundell, and Attack of the Clones made hundreds of millions at the global box office. But Winstone has no regrets, adding: “that sort of film would bore the arse off me, all that bluescreen work.”

Still, it’s fun to imagine the tough-talking Londonder playing Natalie Portman’s dad in Star Wars. Bloody hell!

This isn’t the first time the outspoken Winstone has recalled having a difficult time with big-budget Hollywood movie franchises. In August, Winstone spoke of his frustration with Marvel’s demands for Black Widow reshoots, despite the film’s director apparently being happy with his performance.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.