Star Wars: A New Hope, introducing viewers to heroes Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, as well as to Sith lord Darth Vader. Along with the sequels Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, they form what’s known as the original trilogy.
Years later, Lucas expanded this universe with a prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and which explored the Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks). However, they weren’t the only ones who were heavily criticized for their performances, and one of Pé Amidala’s handmaidens was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award even though she was barely in the movie.
As mentioned above, The Phantom Menace was nominated for seven Razzie Awards: Worst Picture, Director, Screenplay, ing Actor (twice: Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best), Screen Couple, and ing Actress, this last one for the performance of Sofia Coppola as Saché, one of Pé’s handmaidens. These were a group of young women chosen as aides to Queen Amidala and were responsible for assisting her with everyday tasks and served as bodyguards. The handmaidens wore the same robes so they could blend in, so it’s difficult to point just one out. Because of this, Coppola can be barely seen in the movie, yet she was nominated for Worst ing Actress, which most likely has nothing to do with her “performance” as Saché.
Before she made her directorial debut with The Virgin Suicides (also released in 1999), Coppola appeared in a couple of films in minor roles, except for The Godfather Part III, where she played Mary Corleone. Coppola’s performance was heavily criticized and gave her her first Razzies for Worst ing Actress and Worst New Star. Critics and the audience in general didn’t let go of that easily, and her second Razzie nomination for a very minor role in The Phantom Menace was most likely just another chance to get at her for her performance in The Godfather III. Coppola got the role thanks to Lucas being a close family friend and working partner of her father, Francis Ford Coppola, and when she heard he was shooting a new Star Wars movie, she asked if she could go and watch the shoot, and Lucas offered her the role of Saché.
Back in 2000, Coppola shared with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was so small, most people don’t or even know she was in it, and while a Razzie nomination for it doesn’t matter, it does make for an interesting trivia fact in her career.
