wide regarded as the worldly concern ’s enceinte pic enfranchisement , it ’s strange to think thatStar Warsstarted life as a low budget 1977 fantasy science fiction play .

Made for $ 11 million all those years ago , that first movie ended up raking in $ 775.4 million worldwide , spawning a further two continuation , a prequel trilogy and a whole glut of fresh movies following Disney ’s acquisition of the enfranchisement .

Much of that has to do with the iconic and eclectic characters presented throughout the movies . Characters that you could not only steady down for but ones that would in all probability sound off your   butt if you talked back to them .

Sidious, Tyranus, Maul, and Vader.

There ’s Harrison Ford ’s gun - toting , wise - cracking , place smuggler Han Solo and Mark Hamill ’s earnest but determine Jedi - in - training Luke Skywalker , for starters .

Throw in Carrie Fisher ’s fiercely autonomous Princess Leia and you had a series of protagonists who you matte could handle themselves in any given situation – and that ’s just the good guys .

In Darth Vader alone , Star Warsboasts arguably cinema ’s biggest awesome villain   and someone adequate to of striking fearfulness into almost anyStar Warsfan with the auditory sensation of his external respiration alone .

George Lucas with A New Hope imagery v3

Even the prequel movies , Jar - Jar Binks and all , gasconade their mediocre ploughshare of kick - butt type , with Darth Maul the most obvious illustration .   However , just because a lineament or actor comes across as a tough guy in the big covert does n’t needs have in mind they should be revere in real life .

In fact , some of these actor character are n’t all that badass at all once the cameras stop rolling .

Here are the13 Star Wars Stars Who Are lawfully Tough ( And 12 Who Are Just Tough On Screen ) .

Din Djarin and Ahsoka-1

Tough: David Prowse

His distinctive English emphasis ( Bristolian to be accurate ) may have keep him from voicing the part of Darth Vader but the man behind that iconic mask was more than a suitable match for the Sith Lord .

As a towering presence on the cover , David Prowse was also something of a behemoth when it get along to overcoming adversity . Very much a graduate from the school of knockout knocks , Prowse grew up with ambitions of becoming a rugger player until a freak human knee job cease those hope .

Rugby is a pretty bad game in itself ( basically American Football without the dead body armor ) but , undeterred , he decide to pursue another mutation a few eld later : muscle building .

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It may seem like a lot of greased - up , sinew - bind hombre dowse in baby oil , but bodybuilding requires an unbelievable stratum of dedication . line , lather , and rip are a necessary component– and Prowse did n’t just dabble in musclebuilding either : at one point he was among the very best .

In the three yr from 1962 onwards , the six - foot - seven - inch bohemoth was crowned British Heavyweight Weightlifting Champion . He also represented England as an athlete at the Commonwealth Games in Perth , Australia .

From here , he go on to rub shoulders with the the likes of of Lou Ferrigno and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Mr. Universe competition .

david prowse darth vader

Heck , this guy used to perform a special one - human beings show under the stage name Jack The Ripper that involved him rip up speech sound books . Whatever his differences with Lucas might be , one thing is undeniable : Prowse is one toughened guy .

Not Tough: Carrie Fisher

Fisher ’s hard upbringing is well documented . It started at an early age when her Father-God , Eddie Fisher , forget her mother Debbie Reynolds with Carrie and her new sidekick Todd to be with Elizabeth Taylor .

They spent much of their subsequent childhood in the company of their mother , something Carrie found difficult to deal with – especially out in world .

" I overheard people state , ' She thinks she ’s so with child because she ’s Debbie Reynolds ' daughter ! ' And I did n’t wish it ; it made me dissimilar from other hoi polloi and I wanted to be the same , " she told theNew York Times .

Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars The Last Jedi

Damaged by her mother ’s fame , Fisher had similar issue with her father , who had deserted his class . It created a foreign moral force , where Carrie became obsessed with impressing him .

" I start reading really early , " Fisher recalledThe Los Angeles Timesin 2008 . " I wanted to impress my father , who is unimpressable … My family call me ‘ the bookworm ’ and they did n’t say it in a gracious way . I fell in love with words . "

Though Fisher ’s family moral force did unknowingly place the base for her successful acting career , in reality , it also created the vulnerable part .

Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars The Phantom Menace

Carrie fight with bipolar disorder and drug issues in her former years . She overcame these issues   finally though . Carrie Fisher was n’t tough in the traditional sense – but she was a fighter .

Tough: Liam Neeson

It tookStar Warsfans nine years to come upon how much of an awful character Neeson could be on the big screenland . Easily slay by Darth Maul and his double - cease lightsaber when he play Qui - Gon - Jinn inThe Phantom Menaceback in 1999 , it would n’t be until 2008 andTakenthat fans would feel the full military group of the Northern Irishman .

However , anyone who screw Neeson from an other long time would have known the Sojourner Truth : he was as tough as they add up .

Growing up in Northern Ireland , the histrion spend his formative years pugilism . Boxing takes seaworthiness , focus and a lot of subject field .

Oscar Isaac as Poe in Star Wars The Last Jedi

More significantly , it requires getting punched in the face repeatedly . Though Neeson had ambitions of wee-wee it as a professional , his first defeat in the gang endeavor to be his undoing .

" I did n’t get knocked out , but I was tucker and I come out of the ring and my Father of the Church was with me and he said , ' OK boy , go and get change , ' and I await at him and I think , ' Changed … What ’s he talking about ? ' ” he toldIrish Central .

" It was very shuddery and it last about 10 minute . I literally did n’t know if I was a human being , and I thought , ' That ’s it , ' " he articulate .

Daisy Ridley as Rey and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars The Force Awakens

Despite give ear up his gloves , Neeson has maintained a keen interest in the summercater and has maintained a reputation as someone who had a lot of potential as a fighter in his younger age .

Not Tough: Oscar Isaac

It should n’t come as a massive surprisal to larn that the Julliard - trained Isaac is n’t exactly the elusive cooky in the box . bear in his female parent ’s aboriginal Guatemala , Isaac in reality grew up in Miami where he relish a middling good time of things .

The man behind Rebel Alliance ruffian Poe Dameron   is more than subject of coming off as something of a   insurrectionist , though – he was kick out from school at a young historic period , for example .

That does n’t tell the entire account , though . For one thing , Isaac was attending a swank private school at the sentence and , second , he got expel for the most ridiculous reason .

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" I ’d petted some fauna I was n’t supposed to pet , " he toldDetails cartridge , viaE!“The schooltime was built around this hombre ’s spread , and there was a swelled wall , and we never know what was on the other side . Me and my protagonist jumped over and found all these exotic fauna — guard emus and the craziest tiny little silk hat . We just started petting them all . Why would n’t you ? But the guy plain . "

Though Isaac insists other incidents involving firing extinguishes and graffiti also played a part , it will still go down as the silliest sounding path to make a reputation as a bad son of kind .

Tough: Harrison Ford

Han Solo has always been a man of activity . In the early part of his career , before he got his large break with Star Wars , for instance , Ford kept the wolves from the door by working as a professional carpenter .

The confidence to take up a profession that expect the use of dangerous tools twenty-four hours in , day out , is telling enough but what make believe Ford ’s efforts so much more impressive is the fact he was whole self - taught .

However , the thing that really tell Ford from the boys is his love of flying . Not only is fly an extremely dangerous avocation to take up , but its one Ford has also memorize firsthand can be incredibly dangerous .

Christopher Lee as Count Dooku in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

He ’s learned that over the path of a serial of crash and mid - air near Miss .

A pilot since taking it up as a by-line of sorts in the 1960s , Ford most recently made the headlines in February 2017 , when he erroneously landed on a taxiway at John Wayne Airport , coming perilously close to hitting an American Airlines 737 airplane that was using the runway at the time .

Ford had been directed to land his single - engine Husky on an adjacent runway but missed the mark . It almost ended in calamity , but Ford kept his cool throughout . He ’s been a torpedo too , once rescuing a Kyd who got separated from his grouping in Yellowstone Park .

Mace Windu Purple Lightsaber Attack Palpatine

Ford rescued him by helicopter . Now , if that does n’t vocalise like Han Solo , nothing does

Not Tough: Woody Harrelson

Though he play in series killers and severely - boiled detective with aplomb , Harrelson happens to be a jolly melt out kind of guy rope .   This is surprising when you consider his desktop .

Charles V. Harrelson was twice imprison for claim life , the second time landing two life sentences for the first   demise of an American judge in the 20th hundred . He even claimed to have been involved in the departure   of John F. Kennedy .

It ’s just a surprise to learn Woody took his own , more peaceable path . As a long - time   devil ’s lettuce counselor-at-law who recently chuck up the sponge smoking but remains in full supportive of its use , Harrelson also happens to be an environmental activist .

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in Star Wars on Mustafar

So much so that , in October 2009 , he was pass on an honorary degree by York University for his contribution to environmental education , sustainability , and activism . He ’s mellow out out even further from the party animal he once was in the ' 90s too .

Once ask byVultureto public lecture about the biggest misconception masses have about him , he read . " They think I ’m a party animate being , which … I   am   a party beast . I mean , that might be one affair … But on the other deal , I have n’t … I ’m now super moderate . " subject matter received , Woody .

Tough: Christopher Lee

" When the Second World War stop I was 23 and already I had seen enough repulsion to last me a lifetime , " the late actor Sir Christopher Lee once toldThe Telegraph . He was n’t exagerating .

bear in 1922 and develop privately , Lee bring together the Royal Air Force in 1940 , just prior to the Second World War .

Capable of verbalize several languages ,   he also put to work in several close military persona in the years that follow . Though Lee was always keen to downplay his role in the conflict , reports suggest he fiddle a purpose in the Long Range Desert Group ( LRDG ) in North Africa in 1941 , sneaking behind enemy lines to destruct enemy aircraft and supplies .

Star Wars-Padme Amidala

His language acquirement also go out him conducting special missionary work across Europe , tracking down Nazi criminals .

Earning the soubriquet Duke or Spy , Lee saw the horror of the Second World War left behind first helping hand and was almost kill on two freestanding occasions , contracting malaria along the fashion .

Though historian Gavin Mortimer has disputed some of these title , Lee ’s reluctance to talk and Mortimer ’s own access that the actor still played an significant part in the warfare campaign , means the man behind the villainous Count Dooku gets the benefit of the doubt on this one .

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Not Tough: Samuel L. Jackson

He played Mace Windu , the 2d most sinewy Jedi after Yoda , but Jackson has tend to countenance his actor’s line , rather than his lightsaber , do the talking in real - sprightliness . That ’s not to say thePulp Fictionstar was n’t a badass , per se . Especially in his younger years .

Back then , he was more of a politically - minded , though . In 1969 , Jackson even bring forth himself expelled from the historically grim Morehouse College in Atlanta , Georgia .

Jackson landed himself in serious worry after locking several of the college ’s display board phallus in a construction for two whole days . He was protest the schoolhouse ’s curriculum at the metre and the overall government of the psychiatric hospital .

Star Wars

Jackson was a very combat-ready player in the civil rights drive at the time , oft serve mass meeting in the sixties and showing strong bread and butter for Martin Luther King Jr. When King passed away , Jackson pay heed his funeral as an usher and snuff it direct from there to Memphis for an equal rights borderland that further radicalised his sight of the US .

The result was the Morehouse sales booth - off , with Jackson one of several radical students who held the college ’s card against their will . They wanted , among other things , more bleak multitude on the governing board of their initiation .

Though Morehouse relented to their demand , Jackson was release for his actions . Not tough , perhaps , but doubtlessly badass .

Tough: Adam Driver

equipment driver may descend off as the most petulant Sith to ever grace a galaxy far , far out but , as it turn out the player behind Kylo Ren is really a surprisingly bad guy in tangible life . It all dates back to his formative year when Driver found himself at something of a personal intersection in his life .

be with his female parent and stepfather ’s firm in Indiana , Driver had just been rejected by Juilliard drama school when 9/11 happened .

Watching those picture unfold , Driver revealed in aTed Talkyears by and by that he felt a sudden " overwhelming sense of duty . " He was feeling " generally piddle off " at the time and lack authority . So he did something unexpected : he joined the Marines .

Signing up seemed to be the answer to his job , with Driver head off for two years of training . A physically and mentally need experience , Driver learned the necessary discipline and focus that ultimately avail him become the actor he is today .

He also come forth from the experience a hellhole of a lot tougher than the mediocre ordinary joe . Driver never saw active obligation though – he was free just before his unit got shipped out to Iraq after picking up a bad injury while out quite a little biking .

The actor still regards the experience as invaluable .

Not Tough: Natalie Portman

Portman did n’t get much of an chance to show Padmé Amidala ’s sturdy side , save for a couple of scenes in which she fire a chargeman in the general focusing of some unobserved foe .   This was a veridical waste , view the fact Portman has shown herself a capable and versatile military action star in the eld since .

Instead , much of Padmé ’s screen fourth dimension in theStar Warsfranchise involved looking either Queen like or fantastically pensive while stare out across some shape of balcony .

It ’s not a role or performance anyone looks back on lovingly – including Portman . Her character still kicks   butt   , though , however briefly we may see her do it – and that ’s still a stark contrast to Portman in material life .

Portman is a seriously impertinent womanhood . She ’s the first Harvard alum to win an Academy Award and has twice been publish in scientific journals .

She can also talk six different languages and took graduate courses at Hebrew University in Jerusalem .

When Portman enrolled at Harvard she did so under the name Natalie Herschlag , her birth name , to keep under the microwave radar . Her work stood out , though , with several professors label her an special student . So she ’s not tough , but she ’s fundamentally a genius .