How ‘Laverne & Shirley’s Cindy Williams Nearly Became Princess Leia

Lauren Novak January 25, 11:00 am

LAVERNE & SHIRLEY (aka LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY), Cindy Williams, 1976-83 — Everett Collection

What To Know

Cindy Williams, known for her role in Laverne & Shirley and her work with George Lucas on American Graffiti, auditioned for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars.
Williams never received a clear reason for not being cast, speculating that Lucas may have wanted a younger actress and noting her busy schedule with her hit sitcom.
Despite not landing the iconic role, Williams enjoyed a highly successful career in television, film, and theater, notably starring in Laverne & Shirley for eight seasons.

It feels impossible to imagine Princess Leia as anyone other than Carrie Fisher. From the moment Star Wars arrived in theaters in 1977, Fisher’s performance helped define the character. But, like most iconic roles, Leia was not written with a single actress in mind, and before Fisher became forever linked to the part, several familiar faces auditioned — one of whom was Cindy Williams, who was already well known to film audiences thanks to her work with director George Lucas in American Graffiti.

Williams has confirmed that she did audition for Princess Leia, a detail that circulated as a rumor for years before she addressed it herself. Given her prior collaboration with Lucas, her involvement was not surprising.

@ultimatelaverneshirley A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Cindy Williams auditioned for the role or Princess Leia in STAR WARS (1977). Of course, the role ultimately went to the late, great Carrie Fisher, but I thought this footage would be a neat way to celebrate #NationalSpaceDay! 👩‍🚀 🔭🪐☄️🛸👽🚀👨‍🚀 #cindywilliams #space #starwars #audition ♬ original sound – ultimatelaverneandshirley

Why wasn’t Cindy Williams cast as Princess Leia?

Williams later admitted she never received a clear explanation for why she did not land the role. MeTV shared that Williams once said, “I don’t really know what happened. I think George Lucas might have wanted to go younger. I was already starring in Laverne & Shirley by then.” Laverne & Shirley premiered in early 1976 and quickly became one of television’s biggest hits, making Williams a weekly presence in millions of homes. Committing to a long, effects-driven film shoot may not have aligned easily with her rapidly growing television schedule.

Of course, Williams’ career hardly suffered. As Shirley Feeney, she helped anchor one of the most successful sitcoms of the era, a show that began as a spin-off of Happy Days and ran for 8 seasons. At the same time, her film résumé already included The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola‘s acclaimed thriller that earned multiple Academy Award nominations. She later continued working steadily in film, television and theater.

Could you picture Williams as Princess Leia? Let us know in the comments!