When George Lucas chose Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill to be the stars in the far, far away galaxy, other rising stars like Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Kurt Russell, Sissy Spacek were going in and out the audition room, unsuccessfully.
However, during the long-lasting Star Wars history, a lot of actors explored the galaxy, and some of them might surprise you. You’ve probably heard about the cameos in “The Force Awakens“, and if not, have a look here. Actors from Mission Impossible, Skyfall, and even music producers featured in the latest Star Wars installment.
Sometimes they hide under sophisticated costumes and make-up, among big crowds, or they are more noticeable now, after becoming famous.
So we made a list of ten actors that were in Star Wars and you just might have missed them. Some are real surprises, check this out.
You know her, but not as an actress. Read about her role in Star Wars on the next page!
10. Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola is known as a movie director and not an actress. One good movie she has directed is Lost in Translation, but her portfolio as an actress is not that rich in familiar productions. Except Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace where you probably didn’t notice her.
In The Phantom Menace, Sofia portrays Saché, a female Human, one of Amidala’s handmaidens.
“I asked George if I could come and watch the shoot, and he asked if I wanted to be in the royal entourage. (…) I’m at the back with a hood on and you can’t really see me. I don’t even remember what my character was called,” Sofia Coppola confessed about her role as Saché.
On the next page: she’s not Natalie Portman!
9. Keira Knightley
Maybe you knew about Keira Knightley’s appearance in Star Wars, but have you really spotted her? Keira, just as Sofia Coppola plays the role of a Royal handmaiden called Sabe in The Phantom Menace. At some point she doubled as the queen’s decoy in order to protect Amidala (Natalie Portman). They kind of look alike, and that make up!
Otherwise, Keira Knightley was twice nominated for Oscars, and had notable performances in a long list of good movies (Pirates of the Caribbean, Never Let Me Go, The Duchess). Her latest great appearance is in The Imitation Game, a film that won 3 Oscars, one of which is Keira Knightley’s earn.
This actor wanted to be more than he was…in Star Wars. On the next page!
8. Joel Edgerton
Animal Kingdom, Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty and The Great Gatsby are some of the movies that brought fame and critical acclaim to Edgerton. But back in the days he was just Luke's future adoptive parent Uncle Owen. And Edgerton was not satisfied being Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith's Owen Lars.
“Okay, we're gonna talk about this. This is a necessary addition to my film cannon, it gives me another chance to do something more than just rub my hands on a rag and shake Anakin's hand,” he said in a conversation about a possible Obi-Wan solo film.
In case you missed him, here’s the scene where Obi-Wan leaves baby Luke to Owen and Beru Lars.
On the next page you can read about this controversial Senator who almost made it to Star Wars but you never saw it!
7. Bai Ling
Well, Bai Ling (Crank: High Voltage) did not really make it in the final cuts of Revenge of the Sith where she was supposed to be Senator Bana Breemu. Ling accused George Lucas that he has deleted the scenes she had filmed because of her posing for Playboy.
Playboy was releasing a Star Wars collection in May 2005, and Bai Ling posed with a lightsaber, just that she wasn’t in Star Wars anymore. However, her scenes featured in the Deleted Scenes category and you can see them below.
This actress was so happy with her role. But has anyone noticed her? On the next page!
6. Rose Byrne
You might know Rose Byrne from Bad Neighbors and Bridesmaids, but she also featured in Attack of the Clones as handmaiden Dormé.
The actress seemed to have been very excited about her role, and so focused on protecting the Queen.
“What really helped me get into the character of Dormé was definitely her costume. It was so regal that it made me walk and behave very differently than a twenty-two-year-old Sydney girl. Her entire role really is to support Amidala, and her safety is Dormé‘s top priority. That helped give me focus.”
The Australian actress also featured in films such as Troy, Wicker Park, Marie Antoinette, Sunshine, 28 Weeks Later, X-Men: First Class, The Place Beyond the Pines, and I Give It a Year.
You might know him from Game of Thrones! Check out the next page!
5. Julian Glover
General Maximilian Veers in The Empire Strikes Back is no other than the same actor who plays the central villain in For Your Eyes Only, Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and most recently Grand Maester Pycelle in HBO's Game of Thrones. And that is veteran actor, Julian Glover.
The Empire Stikes Back is the second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy and Maximilian Veers is at the helm of the elite forces of the Galactic Empire that go after Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa.
It was the worst-payed job for him! On the next page!
4. Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz was the voice of Darth Maul, the tattooed Sith in Phantom Menace. He declared that it was the worst-payed job he’d ever had. These were his lines in Phantom Menace:
“Tatooine is sparsely populated. If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly, master.
“At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.
“Yes, my master.”
Otherwise, you might have seen him in Edgar Wright's sitcom Spaced opposite Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
Have you spotted this actor outside The Hobbit? What was he doing in Star Wars? On the next page!
3. Richard Armitage
It seems that Phantom Menace has a pool of surprising appearances that might have been overlooked. Richard Armitage is one of the actors who are not famous for appearing in Star Wars, but for other productions, in this case, The Hobbit. In the trilogy, Armitage plays the role of Dwarf King Thorin Oakenshield.
In Phantom Menace the English actor portrays a Naboo Bravo 6 starfighter pilot, and it’s Armitage’s early contact with the world of cinema. Armitage had recurring roles in Ultimate Force, Spooks (A.K.A. “MI-5”), Strike Back, the 2006 Robin Hood series and North & South.
He directed one of Marvel’s superhero flicks! On the next page!
2. Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston is known for his directorial work that include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Jumanji (1995), Jurassic Park III (2001),The Wolfman (2010), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). How did he end up appearing as a Stormtrooper in Star Wars?
Well, it was not an attempt at acting. Johnston began his career as concept artist and effects technician on the first Star Wars film, directed by George Lucas. So what was he doing in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope ?
He gave the response: “trying to get George [Lucas] to make a feature based on Boba Fett.”
His name is attached to Star Wars, but we never knew he was IN Star Wars!
1. George Lucas
This is hilarious and unexpected: George Lucas in Star Wars! Well, it’s not uncommon to link George Lucas to Star Wars, on the contrary, but how many of us knew that he played the role of Baron Papanoida in Revenge of the Sith?
“My father’s a powerful man. If you hurt me or my sister, you’ll be dead!” – Papanoida
What is this character about? Well, he was the leader of the planet Pantora, in the course of the last decades of the Galactic Republic.
The director explained what in the world was doing in Star Wars. Had he ran out of actors?
“My appearance in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was just for fun. Mostly, I did it for my kids,” George Lucas said. “I was wrapping the series, and I’d never been on-screen in a Star Wars film, even though I’d been making them for decades. With Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I get the best of both worlds, because I get a starring role but don’t have to do any acting or wear any blue make-up.”
