Fancy yourself as a true Star Wars fan? Perhaps you’ve watched all the movies hundreds of times over? Maybe you’ve been to a Star Wars convention? Or have you googled how to make a video site so you can upload all your favorite clips into one pleasing, fan-tastic showreel?
Well, let’s put that fandom to the test! We all know that over the years, many actors have taken up roles in the Star Wars universe, and we are familiar with who all the main characters are. However, some very well-known faces might come as a bit of a surprise to you. These actors had roles in these mega movies before they became famous or took cameo roles just because they were huge fans of the films themselves.
So let’s take a look at some of the actors you never knew at one time made up the Star Wars cast.
1 – Joel Edgerton
Australian actor Joel Edgerton is best known for his leading role in the 2011 movie, Warrior. You also might recognize him from Zero Dark Thirty. However, he also appeared in two Star Wars films, namely, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He plays Darth Vader’s stepbrother Uncle Owen and looks so different; it’s hard to recognize him.
2 – Andy Serkis
Know who Andy Serkis is best known as, my precious? Yes, you got it, he worked on the voice and motion capture acting for Gollum in Lord of the Rings! However, Serkis also used his talents for playing fictitious characters to convey the real horror and wickedness of Supreme Leader Snoke.
3 – John Ratzenberger
You wouldn’t think that this well-known actor from popular Sitcom, Cheers would have also had a stint in the Star Wars Universe. After all, they are both literally and figuratively worlds apart. However, it turns out that before pulling up a stool at the Cheers bar, John Ratzenberger played Major Derlin of the Rebel Forces in The Empire Strikes Back.
4 – Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith is best known for directing cult movies Clerks and Dogma. He has always claimed to be a massive Star Wars fan, so he jumped at the chance to be in one of the movies himself and played a cameo role as one of the Stormtroopers, even bagging himself a line too!
5 – Keira Knightley
Another unexpected actor to appear in the Star Wars films is Keira Knightley. Known for her characters in Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Bend it Like Beckham, Knightley had a role as Queen Amidala’s decoy, Sabé, in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The reason why she was chosen is that she looks so similar to Natalie Portman, who played the Queen.
6– Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, is a screenwriter, director, producer, and actress who is best known for her screenplay, Lost in Translation. She landed her role as one of the handmaidens to Padmé Amidala. Coppola played Saché in The Phantom Menace.
7 – Daniel Craig
Another Star Wars fan who bagged himself a cameo role in the films was none other than James Bond actor, Daniel Craig. Craig has had many prominent acting roles, such as in Layer Cake, Tomb Raider, and Road to Perdition, but his role as Bond is perhaps his most famous. However, he also got to play a stormtrooper in The Force Awakens – the one who Rey manipulates into freeing her by the power of the force.
8 – Peter Serafinowicz
Finally, Peter Serafinowicz, who is known for his roles in Shaun of the Dead and Guardians of the Galaxies, is another famous face that you might never have guessed took up a part in Star Wars. Serafinowicz voiced Darth Maul alongside Ray Park, who worked on the character’s looks and moves.
So there you have it, did you guess them all? These actors were particularly good and keeping their identity hidden. Now next time you dip back into the Star Wars universe, you can show off your knowledge of all the famous faces and voices that have made an appearance in these iconic movies and impress your fellow Star Wars fans!