Sweeper: OK I'm confused, how would casting Denzel Washington as Mace pander to the young/white/stereotypical crowd because he is more 'epic'?? I said casting Jackson was an obvious ploy by Lucas to attract young teens ,probably mainly black, because Jackson is a cool hip current actor and will resonate with that exact crowd...strongly. So the argument that my suggestion of Washington would get young White teens involved makes no sense.
Again....casting someone as a Jedi because they are cool isn't the right idea!! That's why Washington would have been so much better because he has a strong presence, he looks tough and has an 'epic' quality about him, he basically is a Jedi lol!! (much like Neeson I might add).
Jackson is nowhere near the actor Washington is and ,as most of you have said, was merely cast because he is 'cool' which is weak. As TangAkkai said Jackson looked totally out of place in many sequences throughout and he just didn't fit the SW type of actors used, not the right kind of film for Jackson. Shooting guns and swearing allot yes, being a spiritual, wise 'sword' wielding Master of a religious order...errrr no.