In the Star Wars prequels, Bail Prestor Organa of Alderaan, Princess Leia's adoptive father, was one of the last noble politicians remaining during the rise of the galactic empire and helped build the rebellion from the ground up. Actor Jimmy Smits, a TV legend with memorable roles in shows such as NYPD Blue and The West Wing, brought Organa to life in the prequel films and Rogue One. Although he was the first character from the prequel trilogy to reprise the role in a Disney-produced film, he technically wasn't the first actor to play the part.
Northern Irish actor, Adrian Dunbar, briefly played Leia's adoptive father in a deleted scene for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Had he made the final cut, it would have been during a key scene when Queen Padme Amidala called for a Vote in No Confidence in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum in front of the Senate. Amidst the heated reaction in the Senate chamber, Organa stands up from his podium and states, "Alderaan seconds the motion for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum." Dunbar's short scene can be watched on Disney+ under the extras section for The Phantom Menace. A noticeable detail in the clip is a woman with Princess Leia's iconic hair buns sitting in Organa's podium.
Although Dunbar filmed the deleted scene as Bail Organa, George Lucas and company decided to change his character to a different Alderaan representative named Bail Antilles. Fans who went to go see The Phantom Menace may not remember Antilles, but the character was referenced as one of the few nominees to succeed Finis Valorum as the new Chancellor, which was of course won by then-Senator Palpatine.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Dunbar recounted how he received the news that his parts were cut saying, "I wasn't actually in the film because George Lucas called me up and said that for plot reasons he couldn't include my character - which I found a bit strange." Dunbar explained that despite having few lines in The Phantom Menace, he took the role because Lucas told him he would be featured more in the subsequent two films. But as soon as he arrived on set, the Irish actor was asked to speak his lines with an American accent.
When speaking his lines in a new accent on set, Qui-Gon Jinn actor Liam Neeson jokingly yelled, "That is the worst American accent I've ever heard." Dunbar was still hopeful to be a part of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but unfortunately that never came to fruition. As production for Attack of the Clones began, Jimmy Smits was cast as Bail Organa, the successor to Bail Antilles' seat in the Senate.
It's a mystery as to the exact reasons why Dunbar's Bail Organa became Bail Antilles in The Phantom Menace. Perhaps George Lucas decided he needed an American actor to play the part after casting an actor from Northern Ireland. Since Princess Leia speaks with an American accent in classic and sequel trilogy (outside of the time she mocked Grand Moff Tarkin with an English accent), it would make sense for her adoptive parents to have a convincing American accent as well.
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