With one audition for "Star Wars," everything changed.
 | By Christine Kecher Senior Commissioning Editor, Op-Docs |
Devon Michael's brush with fame came when he was nearly cast as Anakin Skywalker in "The Phantom Menace," the long-awaited 1999 installment of the "Star Wars" saga. Out of about 3,000 child actors who auditioned for the role, Michael — who was just 9 years old at the time but already had a list of credits that included "The Client" and "ER" — made it to the final three. For Michael, whose family sometimes used his acting income to help pay rent, the role wasn't just a chance at fame — it was a path to financial security. "It occurred to me that this could be my way out," he says. |
With his hopes high after visiting Skywalker Ranch for a screen test with Natalie Portman, Michael was devastated to learn that another actor, Jake Lloyd, would be cast in the role. He quit acting following the audition process, believing he would never get a chance to audition for a project as high-profile as "Star Wars" again. |
Losing the part was initially heartbreaking for Michael, but from outside of the "Star Wars" universe, he had the chance to see the dark side of fame. He watched as Lloyd, who was just 8 years old when he was cast, endured intense criticism and bullying from the media, the public and his peers. |
Michael may not have spent his childhood in the spotlight, but his life is no less bright. Today, at 32, Michael writes children's and fantasy books, and sometimes works as a screenwriter and script consultant. "The dark side can happen to anybody. Right? But it depends on how you tell your own story," he says. |
Ben Proudfoot brings you inside Michael's story in "The Unchosen One," Times Opinion's final Op-Doc in the second season of our "Almost Famous" anthology, a collection of short films that tell the stories of extraordinary people who could have been household names had things turned out slightly different. |
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