Subtle L. Jackson

So desperate was the star of such hits as Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and A Time To Kill - Samuel L. Jackson - to glean a role in the forthcoming prequel epic, that he resorted to dropping Death Star-sized hints with all the subtlety of an AT-AT. "I realised George Lucas was about to do Star Wars and I really wanted to be in Star Wars," said the 51-year-old Washington-born actor, who when asked - as he often is - if there are any directors he would like to work with almost always answers, "No." Lucas, however, proved too powerful. "So in the interviews I started saying , 'I'd really love to work with George Lucas.' I said something like, 'I'll be Luke Skywalker's slave if they just put me in the movie'. As a result, George invited me to his ranch. I told him, 'I don't care what part you give me. I'll be a Storm Trooper, anything!'" Funny that, because immediately following the meeting, Jackson was offered the part of a Jedi Knight, partaking in a scene with the great, green, pointy-eared freak himself, Yoda - Jedi guru. "It was the coolest thing in the world to know I would be interacting with Yoda. I'm sitting around trying to get into my character, but I'm also thinking 'Wow! I can't believe I'm here with Yoda!'" And when asked whether or not it was a dream come true... "Oh yeah. There was a great moment on the set when a guy came over with a bunch of light sabers in a case and said 'pick one'. I didn't get the chance to use it. But the good news is that my character doesn't die, and there's another movie coming. I think I've got a shot at it."