Christian Balemust be enjoying playing big bads (and letting people know what roles he would like to play in the future). The actor, who recently appeared as Gorr the God Butcher in Marvel Studios’Thor: Love and Thunderand is playing Burt in the upcoming filmAmsterdam, wants toreturn as a villain in another Disney-owned property:Star Wars.
The actor said in a recent interview that he could be persuaded to joinStar Wars. However, only if he could continue the work of the ‘Stormtrooper Fail’ stormtrooper, a fan-favorite background character who is seen banging his head on a doorframe in aStar Wars: A New Hopescene (too many mind tricks will do that to a person, rememberFrom a Certain Point of View?)
When interviewing Bale about his work on the upcoming filmsAmsterdamandThe Pale Blue Eye,The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davids asked Bale, who has made the same joke (?) in the past, if he still had a desire to makeStar Warssomeday. The actor responded:
All I ever wanted inStarWarswas to be in aStarWarsoutfit and hit my head on a door or something as I walked through. The real nerds who watchedStar Warsway too many times always knew about that one scene where the Stormtrooper hits his head on the door as he comes through. I wanted to bethatguy. That was it. But look, if I’m fortunate enough to be more than that, oh man, yeah. What a delight that would be. I’ve still got the figures from when I was little. I also know Kathy Kennedy very well because she was working with Spielberg when I didEmpire of the Sun, and now, she runs theStar Warsuniverse.
It’s quite possible this stormtrooper ran into a Jedi (or Darth Vader) on his way into his duty shift that fateful day. He ran into a wall because now he has the brain scramblies. Could a limited series about Jedi mind trick be in Bale’s future?
Related:Star Wars: Lines From The Prequel Films That Are Actually Good
How ‘Stormtrooper Fail’ Happened
OnA New Hope’s 40th anniversary,THRtracked down the actor who banged his head when he walked out of the control room: Laurie Goode, who was 31 during production (although one other actor claims to be the stormtrooper in question, per Goode in theTHRinterview).
According to Goode, the actor was as surprised as anyone that George Lucas decided to use the take where he hit his head on the doorway, tellingTHRthat they recorded at least four takes. The U.K.-based actor toldTHRthat the accident happened because he wasn’t feeling well that morning,saying:
On the second day of filming, I developed an upset stomach. By midmorning I had paid three to four visits to the loo/bathroom. Having re-dressed myself and returned to the set, I felt the need to rush back to the gents’ toilets, but I was placed in [the] shot. On about the fourth take, as I shuffled along, I felt my stomach rumbling, and “bang,” I hit my head! As I wasn’t moving too fast, it was more of a scuffed bash, so it didn’t hurt, but as no one shouted “cut,” I thought the shot wasn’t wide enough for me to be in the frame.
