Star Wars: The Force Awakens Celebrity Cameos
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was full of great cameos from some great actors. Which ones were the best?
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens being the first live-action Star Wars film to hit the big-screen in 10 years, it’s understandable that celebrities would be lining-up to get a coveted cameo spot, no matter how small. Rumors abound, that James Bond himself — Daniel Craig — had a cameo, all the way to super-nerd and personal friend of J.J. Abrams — Simon Pegg — portraying an odd looking alien. We did some digging, stayed through to the end of the credits (despite there being NO after-credit scene), and scoured the internet for answers as to which celebrities (great and small) made cameos in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Daniel Craig as First Order Stormtrooper:
Scene: Daisy Ridley’s character Rey has been captured, and while in captivity, makes her first attempt at a Jedi mind trick on a First Order Stormtrooper.
"“You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open,” Rey tells the Stormtrooper played by Daniel Craig. “I’ll tighten those restraints, scavenger scum,” Craig’s Stormtrooper responds."
Simon Pegg as alien Unkar Plutt:
Story: It was revealed in a sizzle reel at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con that Star Trek actor Simon Pegg would be wearing a rather large and bulky alien suit for his cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Pegg had kept his role in The Force Awakens a secret, saying that he was a sounding board for J.J. Abrams, which is something Abrams confirmed in several interviews. It wasn’t until a behind-the-scenes video from Disney, on Rey, that we saw what Pegg was playing.
Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz as voice of BB-8:
Story: Comedic actors Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz kept their involvement in Star Wars: The Force Awakens a secret until the credits rolled on opening night. Here’s a quote from Hader:
"“JJ f**king around with this sound effects app on his iPad that was attached to a talk box operated by me. It looked ridiculous but it made BB-8’s voice. At first I tried doing a voice, but we all agreed it sounded too human.”"
As you know, Hader is most well-known for his work on Saturday Night Live, while Schwartz is known for his role on Showtime’s House of Lies.
English producer and Radiohead member Nigel Godrich has a cameo First Order Stormtrooper FN-9330:
Story: Filmmaker Edgar Wright, collaborated with Godrich on Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, confirmed via Twitter that he was the one who got Godrich the job: “I owed him one and this was my return gift.”
Michael Giacchino poses in the press room at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards – Press Room
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA United States
January 31, 2010
Photo by Michael Buckner/WireImage.com
To license this image (59464324), contact WireImage.com
Pixar Composer (Ratatouille and Up) Michael Giacchino, cameos as Stormtrooper FN-3181:
Story: Giacchino’s cameo can be attributed to the fact that has provided music for several previous projects by J.J. Abrams, including Lost and the two Star Trek movies.
That’s it for now, if you can find more celebrity cameos, then tell us about it in the comments or tweet us and Facebook us with your answers. We’ll add them and credit you for the find! And, while you’re here, check out our full Star Wars: The Force Awakens cast list, and reviews for the film.