Flambé Padme, damnit!!!

You've gotta feel for the likes of Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman.  Whereas Harrison Ford might always be noted as Han Solo to some, he's built enough of a body of work to mitigate the burden of Star Wars Geek and his undying belief that, no matter what you do from that point forward, you will ALWAYS be your Star Wars character!

If you're a relative nobody. then you can parlay that into some cold-blooded cashflow.  Most actors from the original three (even the droids), benefitted from the success since, at the time, only Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing were truly established as notable actors.  But with the new three (or "prequels" to the Lucasites) broke from the nobodies.  Alas, when Natalie Portman, already a well-established actress at the time of Episode 1 (which is really the fourth film, or the first of the second trilogy), steps into an eatery, I can't help but wonder how many times Warsies whisper to each other (not so quietly) "Dude, it's Padme!"

Nevermind the girl is an Oscar winner. Take no account that she's been in over 32 projects NOT named "Star Wars".  She will always be Anikin's wife!  That must piss her off.  But, she has only herself to blame. As Super Chicken so eloquently stated to his sidekick Fred, "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it!"  Interestingly, Liam Neeson, post "Phantom Menace",  exclaimed he'll "never" do another action film again -- then went off and chose "Batman Begins", "Taken", "The A Team", "The Grey", "Battleship", "Non-Stop" and "Taken 2" from big book of role choices for fine thespians.

True, he IS, in fact, a bad-assed action star, and perhaps that's why I view Portman and McGregor as Star Wars alumni more so than he.  Like Ford before him, he understood that, to clear himself of the Star Wars stigma, he must muddy the action flick/fantasy flick waters with as much "adventure goop" as humanly possible. Ewan and Natalie have, for the most part, have stuck with drama and the occasional dramedy, which only leaves the crappy prequels are our only substantial action flick references for either of them.

Not so fast! McGregor has finally woken from his galactic slumber!  Over the next couple of years, he's pulling a Liam Neeson on us, who pulled a Harrison Ford on us prior.  Perhaps it was McGregor who was approached by the Geeks, and not Portman.

SWG: "Dude, you're Obi Wan! May the Force be with you, young Ben!"

EMcG: "Shit!  I wonder if that Giant Killer project is still on the table? Gotta get out of this crap!"