Plenty of A-list Hollywood stars have cameoed in theStar Warsfranchise over the years. While George Lucas was committed to casting fresh new talent inStar Wars’biggest roles – a tradition continued by Disney in theStar Warssequel trilogy – that doesn’t mean the franchise has been entirely devoid of bankable talent either.
Sir Alec Guinness and Liam Neeson come to mind, of course, but a few othermajor stars have joined theStar Warsgalaxyjust for the fun of it, too. Friends ofStar Warsdirectors like George Lucas and Rian Johnson have had blink-and-miss-it cameo roles; some were even completely unrecognizable.While a few of the Hollywood cameos included on this list are well-known, others might surprise you.
10Sofia Coppola
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Before she forged her path as a renowned, Oscar-winning writer and director, Sofia Coppola had a brief acting career. She famously played Mary in her father’s film,The Godfather Part III, but a few years later, she also had a small cameo inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.In George Lucas' firstStar Warsprequel, she played Queen Amidala’s handmaiden, Saché.
In a 2023 interview withRolling Stone, Coppola explained how she ended up in the film. When she heard Lucas was working on anotherStar Warsmovie, she asked if she could visit the set, and they gave her a small part in the production instead. At the time, Coppola was writing the script forThe Virgin Suicides. The two directors even share a birthday.
9Keira Knightley
A Queen has more than one handmaiden. Alongside Sofia Coppola’s Saché, there wasKeira Knightley’s Sabé, Queen Amidala’s loyal body double.Knightley’s close resemblance to Natalie Portman got her cast in the film, just as the character’s close resemblance to her Queen got her the decoy job. Knightley’s no stranger to fantasy films, of course. She later starred in thePirates of the Caribbeanmovies.
While Knightley’s Sabé only appeared in live-action inThe Phantom Menace, the character has a rich and even dark history within the franchise. In theStar Warscomics and novels, it is revealed that she knew Padmé and Anakin Skywalker’s secret, traveled to Tatooine to free Anakin’s mother from slavery, became part of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, and even loyally served Darth Vader.
8Dominic West
BAFTA-winning British actorDominic West had a brief cameo inThe Phantom Menace, playing one of Queen Amidala’s palace guards. In the movie, there’s a scene in which he announces Anakin Skywalker’s (Jake Lloyd) arrival at Padmé’s private quarters.
This was relatively early in West’s career; HBO’sThe Wiredidn’t debut until 2007. Since then, West has had critically acclaimed roles in dozens of British and Hollywood productions, including the BBC’s non-musical adaptation ofLes Misérables,Downton Abbey: A New Era,The Crown, and more.
7Rose Byrne
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Australian actress Rose Byrne has been part of Hollywood’s elite for years, but one of her first roles in a major Hollywood production was inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Like her peers before her,Byrne played another one of Padmé Amidala’s handmaidens, Dormé, despite Amidala’s career change as a Senator in Lucas' second prequel movie.
Interestingly, Byrne later had a role in Sofia Coppola’sMarie Antoinettebefore joining another major sci-fi/fantasy franchise: Fox’s second era ofX-Menmovies. While we’ve seen Byrne in some great dramatic roles, she’s an undeniable comedic talent. She’s fantastic in comedy movies likeBridesmaidsandSpy.
6George Lucas
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
George Lucas may have directedStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, buthe also briefly appeared in it (alongside his daughter, Katie Lucas).InRevenge of the Sith’s Opera House sequence,Lucas can be seen as the Pantoran Baron Notluwiski Papanoidajust before Anakin heads into the theater to meet with Palpatine.
Later, in theStar Wars: The Clone Warsanimated series, Lucas' character returned in season 3, episode 4, “Sphere of Influence,” voiced by Corey Burton. In the story, Papanoida’s daughters are kidnapped and held for ransom. Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, is tasked with bringing them to safety with the help of Pantoran Senator Riyo Chuchi, one of Senator Amidala’s closest allies.
5Simon Pegg
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Simon Pegg is no stranger to major action-adventure franchises. With starring roles inStar Trek,Mission: Impossible, and Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, it was only a matter of time before he showed up inStar Wars.That moment came inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, and it had been a long journey for Pegg. He’s been a major fan ofStar Warssince the 1970s.
Simon Pegg is unrecognizable as Jakku junker Unkar Plutt; even his voice is disguised. He didn’t just play a minor part in the film, though. As he toldEmpirein the lead-up toThe Force Awakens' release, he also acted as a consultant and a “sounding board” for director J.J. Abrams. Sometimes, dreams really do come true.
4Daniel Craig
Anyone can spot Daniel Craig on screen. He’s played one of the most beloved iterations of James Bond, and now he’s the world’s best detective, Benoit Blanc. You won’t find him so easily inStar Wars, though.InThe Force Awakens, he’s disguised as a stormtrooper, one who succumbs to Rey’s first successful Jedi Mind Trick after Kylo Ren’s interrogation.
If you listen very, very closely, you’ll probably be able to recognize Craig’s voice underneath the stormtrooper’s modifier. He doesn’t have Benoit Blanc’s trademark semi-Southern drawl, though. The actor only developed that peculiarly entertaining accent a few years later.
3Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Remember that kid running through the airport in the British Christmas classicLove, Actually? That was Thomas Brodie-Sangster. While many remember the actor as Liam Neeson’s son, Brodie-Sangster has had numerous acclaimed roles in high-profile projects since then, includingGame of Thrones,The Maze Runner,The Queen’s Gambit, andThe Artful Dodger.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster appears as a First Order officer inThe Force Awakens, barking out a forceful"We have an unsanctioned departure in Bay 2.“Like Pegg, Brodie-Sangster is a lifelongStar Warsfan and jumped at the chance to join the galaxy far, far away. The actor toldUSA Todaythat he’d"always wanted to play a baddie,“and that his role inThe Force Awakens “counts.”
2Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s cameo in Rian Johnson’sStar Wars: The Last Jediis just as hard to spot as Simon Pegg’s. InThe Last Jedi,Gordon-Levitt plays Slowen Lo, an Abednedo salesman and snitch extraordinaire. When Finn and Rose arrive on Canto Bight to find the Master Code Breaker, Slowen complains to the city’s local police about them parking their ship on the beach.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s role inThe Last Jediis brief and part of one of the most maligned sequences in the film. Even so, it’s no surprise Gordon-Levitt decided to join. He and Rian Johnson are close friends.Gordon-Levitt has participated in nearly all of Johnson’s films, whether in a starring role (2005’sBrickand 2012’sLooper) or a Slowen-sized cameo.
1Justin Theroux
The Leftoversstar Justin Theroux was originally slated to have a bigger role inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. In the final version of Johnson’s film, Theroux can be seen as the dapper Master Codebreaker, one of Maz Kanata’s “contacts.” He’s hard to miss in his white suit jacket with the red plom bloom on his lapel, yet sadly, Finn and Rose never manage to meet him (thanks, Slowen).
Instead, they’re forced to rely on DJ (Benicio del Toro), a shady hacker they find in Canto Bight’s holding cells. In an interview withCinemaBlend,Theroux explained that his Codebreaker role diminishedas Johnson’s script evolved. Nevertheless, he was happy to join the film, and he’s since worked with Johnson on the director’s Emmy-nominated mystery series,Poker Face.
Surely, asStar Warscontinues to grow and evolve, more familiar Hollywood faces will join the franchise, either in major parts – Sigourney Weaver’s involvement inThe Mandalorian and Groguand Ryan Gosling’s leading role inStar Wars: Starfighterare certainly exciting prospects – or in cameo roles similar to the ones named above.Star Warshas a rich cinematic history, after all.
The Mandalorian and Grogu
