The Best Star Wars Cameos Include Mad Max And James Bond
A franchise as big as Star Wars is bound to have a lot of cameos. Lots of celebrities would kill to be Random Imperial #4, let alone spend a whole day on set with Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. The allure of Star Wars is so powerful that even actors known for their rugged good looks are willing to put on full suits of armor just to be in one.
The Name’s Trooper, Stormtrooper
That’s exactly what happened when Daniel Craig made his Star Wars cameo as a Stormtrooper in The Force Awakens. The former James Bond is completely anonymous in his role as a Stormtrooper that Rey mind tricks into letting him go. Not to be outdone, Fury Road‘s Tom Hardy made a similar cameo in The Last Jedi as a Stormtrooper who recognizes Finn.
Sadly, the Mad Max actor’s Star Wars cameo was cut from the finished movie. Princes William and Harry were also part of the deleted scene. Who cuts a scene starring the future King of England? Talk about a royal flush!
On the other hand, Hardy does give John Boyega’s tush a little spank in the scene. Maybe Rian Johnson was wise to 86 it after all.
Hanging With The Boys In Rise Of Skywalker
Even the widely panned Rise of Skywalker has its share of fun Star Wars cameos. Jodie Comer, star of Killing Eve, pops up in a flashback as Rey’s mom. Even more impressive, though, is John Williams as bartender Oma Tres. Williams’ Star Wars scores are as iconic as the films themselves. It’s about time he got some screen time.
And, of course, Rise of Skywalker continues the tradition of the other entries in the sequel trilogy by featuring a famous actor disguised as a stormtrooper. This time, it’s The Boys‘ star Karl Urban hiding in the white plastic armor. Unlike poor Tom Hardy, Karl’s Star Wars cameo made it into the finished film.
Friends And Family Also Got In On The Action
Jumping backward into the prequel trilogy, Sofia Coppola appears in The Phantom Menace as one of Natalie Portman’s handmaidens. This Star Wars cameo is kind of a no-brainer, seeing as Sofia’s father, Frances Ford Coppola, is George Lucas’s bestie. Not to worry though, the nepotism wasn’t reserved solely for friends.
Lucas cast his daughter, Katie, as Amee, the girl who tells Anakin that his podracer is “never gonn run.” Clearly, no one told Amee how wizard podracing is.
Katie made another appearance in Attack of the Clones as Twi’Lek Lunae Minx. This time, her brother Jett and her older sister Amanda tagged along. Not all of the Star Wars cameos in Episode II are Lucas’s however. Neighbors star Rose Byrne shows up as another one of Natalie Portman’s handmaidens, Dorme.
Was The Juice Worth The Squeeze, George?
Revenge of the Sith saw the man himself, George Lucas, step in front of the camera for the first time—not that you’d know it by looking at him. As Notluwiski Papanoida, Lucas was covered head to toe in blue paint. Okay, you got us. It was probably just his face since the rest of him was clothed.
Still, it’s fun to imagine that George Lucas’s one and only Star Wars cameo involved heavy use of body paint for what amounts to 3-seconds of screen time.
Cameos Go All The Way Back To The Original Trilogy
The original Star Wars trilogy also had cameos—though not on the scale that the others did. A New Hope‘s only cameo of note was Jumanji director Joe Johnston as—what else?—a stormtrooper. The Empire Strikes Back, on the other hand, featured none other than Cheers star and Pixar good luck charm John Ratzenburger as Rebel officer Major Bren Derlin.
Return of the Jedi featured several prominent little people as the movie’s teddy bear-like Ewoks. Tony Cox of Bad Santa fame played one of the fuzzy little imps alongside Willow himself, Warwick Davis. Meanwhile, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor Deep Roy pulled double duty as both an Ewok and Droopy McCool, Max Rebo’s clarinet player.
The Star Wars universe is always expanding as are its celebrity cameos. We can’t wait to see who pops up when Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order movie finally hits the big screen!
