Consider this yourstrong spoiler warningif you haven’t seenStar Wars: The Force Awakensyet.
By now you’ve probably had a chance to check outJ.J. Abrams’Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but there’s a good chance you haven’t spotted all of the film’s numerous cameos just yet. Sure, you may have heard aboutDaniel Craiggetting to don Stormtrooper armor, or thatKenny Bakerreturned to consult on all things R2-D2, or that good guyGreg Grunbergplayed a Resistance fighter pilot, but there are so many masked movie-stars that you’d need a handy guide to spot them all. Look no further because we’ve got just the guide you need!
We’ve gathered up all the cameo bits, big and small, from around the net now thatStar Wars: The Force Awakenshas had a couple of weeks to play in theaters around the world. No droid will be overlooked, no costumed character shall go unmasked, and no shadowy figure at the back of the bar will be able to hide for long. We’ll update these cameos as more information is made available, but for now, this should serve as a good start for your multiple re-watches ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: Force for Change Winner
Check out the winner of the Star Wars: Force for Change charity contest D.C. Barns in costume as a patron at Maz Kanata’s bar, alongside an unrecognizableWarwick Davis:
Note:If you thoughtJ.J. Abrams’assistant Morgan Dameron had a familiar last name, it’s no coincidence. As a way to say thanks,Oscar Isaac’scharacter Poe Dameron was named in part for her.
Carrie Fisher’s Daughter, Billie Lourd
We brought youan early look atBillie Lourd’sStar Wars: The Force Awakenscharactera while back, but a bit more info has has emerged since the movie opened. InIMDb’s casting list, her character is named Lieutenant Connix. TheStar Wars: The Force AwakensVisual Dictionaryalso lists her name as Kaydel Ko, so I’d say it’s safe to assume her full title would be Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix./Filmmore or less confirmed as much with the book’s author,Pablo Hidalgo:
/Film also pegged Lourd’s droid co-starPZ-4CO, a protocol droid who assisted the Resistance and, specifically, General Leia Organa. In case you missed Lourd and PZ-4CO during the movie itself, take a look at them below:
J.J. Abrams' Father
DirectorJ.J. Abramshas conjured up cameo opportunities for his fatherGerald Abramsover the course of his career. Back in 2000, Gerry appeared on his son’s creationFelicityas Judge David Amann in the third episode of season three, “Hello, I Must Be Going.” It wasn’t until Abrams’Star Trekreboot that his father gota movie cameoas “Barfly”, which he followed up inStar Trek Into Darknessas “Starfleet Memorial Admiral.”
The elder Abrams finally gets a feature character name inStar Wars: The Force Awakensas Captain Cypress, a member of the Resistance who can be seen in the background in one particular close-up shot of General Leia when she’s speaking with Han. And while we haven’t seen a photo of Captain Cypress just yet, we do have this lovely image of the Abrams below, thanks to an interview with Gerry Abrams fromPenn Live:
Warwick Davis' Wollivan
We glimpsedWarwick Davis’character Wollivan in an earlier image, but we’ve got a better look at the character -a male Blarina, according to Wookieepedia- now thatStar Wars: The Force Awakensis out. According to the visual dictionary mentioned above, Wollivan “worked as an interstellar scout and hyperspace trailblazer; he sold valuable astrogation data and scavenged trinkets to smugglers and traders for a living, though he would sometimes gamble his products away.” The character is seen in Maz Kanata’s castle and apparently was a frequent patron of the bar there.
Star Warsfans will remember that Davis played a number of roles inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but most notably played the Ewok character Wicket W. Warrick inStar Wars: Episode IV - Return of the Jedi.
Yolo Ziff Spots the Starkiller Base’s Weakness
Stefan Grubehad two very important jobs related toStar Wars: The Force Awakens: the first was behind the scenes as the editor for the film’s trailers, and the second was on screen as X-Wing pilot Yolo Ziff who spotted the smoking hole in the Starkiller Base’s thermal oscillator that allowed Poe Dameron to play the hero by destroying it./Filmbrought this one to our attention as well, but Grube’s a tough guy to track down. In addition to winning the"Best Drama TV Spot Award"forThere Will Be Bloodat The Hollywood Reporter’s 37th Annual Movie Marketing Key Art Awards in 2008, Grubedirected this teaser trailerforJ.J. Abrams' book project,“S.”
Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Now for the first of manyGame of Thronescameos inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, we look to Jojen Reed himself,Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Brodie-Sangster plays a First Order Officer according to the credits, but is also listed as Petty Officer Thanisson in theStar Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary.
TheLove Actuallyactor does actually get a line in the film, which is a better deal than most of the cameos on this list. You can spot him about 20 minutes or so into the movie just after Finn and Poe hijack a TIE Fighter to escape the First Order. He’s the officer who announces an “unscheduled departure”, and is soon blown up when the pirated spacecraft shoots up the control room. Brodie-Sangster is in danger of becoming the newSean Beansince he’s having a tough time staying alive in his various franchise roles. Then again, it worked out pretty well for Bean over the years, so we’ll probably be seeing Brodie-Sangster again soon, just not in a galaxy far, far away.
Game of Thrones Cameos
In addition to Brodie-Sangster’s appearance inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, fans ofGame of Throneswill note quite a few cast members crossing over between franchises. Part of the reason for this is that these actors are either up-and-comers or veterans in the field, and another part is that both properties shared the same casting director,Nina Gold. So whileMax von Sydow’sStar WarscharacterLor San TekkaandGwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma don’t get a whole lot of screentime or even lines of dialogue, there are otherGame of Thronescast members who get much less (h/t to/Film):
Jessica Henwick: Set to return in Season 6 of HBO’sGame of Thronesas Nymeria Sand, Henwick was also seen asJessika Pava/Jess/Testor. A Resistance X-Wing fighter pilot with the call sign of Blue Three, Testor was an admirer of Luke Skywalker and managed to get the protocol droid C-3PO to tell her a story about Luke’s Jedi training.
Miltos Yerolemou: Previously seen as swordmaster Syrio Florel onGame of Thrones, Yerolemou has been relegated to “Bar Patron” inStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
Mark Stanley: Recruited into the Night’s Watch asGame of Thrones’Grenn, Stanley is reported as being one of the Knights of Ren. Since we don’t see any of their faces inThe Force Awakens, perhaps he’ll return for future films. Then again, as you’ll see with other cameos on this list, the costumed part might have been Stanley’s one and only role in the franchise.
Emun Elliot: Having previously playedMarillion, a singer in the Seven Kingdoms who had his tongue cut out onGame of Thrones, Elliot regains his ability to speak, uttering the line, “A laser cannon?” as one of the Resistance fighters.
Daniel Craig’s Stormtrooper
We already brought you word aboutthis particular cameo in whichDaniel Craigplays a Stormtrooper. Craig denied the truth of rumors about this cameo in the weeks leading up to the film’s release, but the opportunity for it was there since bothStar Wars: The Force AwakensandSpectrewere filming at Pinewood Studios at the time. As for the cameo, though it’s rare to hear a Stormtrooper delivering more than a few grunts or ill-aimed laser blasts, you still probably wouldn’t have known that it was James Bond beneath the armored helmet. Then again, if someone happened to spoil it for you ahead of time and robbed you of the chance to find it out for yourself after the fact, the “Stormtrooper with the slight British accent” was a pretty easy one to spot.
The scene in question occurs when Rey has been kidnapped by the First Order and has just survived an interrogation by Kylo Ren. Much like the title ofStar Wars: The Force Awakenspromises, this scene is essentially Rey’s awakening to her ability to use the Force. She takes to it rather quickly and is able to telepathically force Craig’s Stormtrooper guard into freeing her from her restraints … after a bit of practice, that is. Oh and if you were wondering what his Stormtrooper designation was, it’sJB-007, of course.
Michael Giacchino’s Stormtrooper
Oscar-winning composerMichael Giacchinomight not have the cool factor of James Bond, but there’s one thing they have in common: both have played Stormtroopers in J.J. Abrams’Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Giacchino certainly has a relationship with Abrams, having composed both the 2009 rebootStar Trekand the follow-upStar Trek Into Darkness. Though he didn’t play that part for the newestStar Wars- a fella by the name ofJohn Williamsfilled that role - he did get a chance to don the iconic armor as Stormtrooper FN-3181.
Like other Stormtrooper designations in the film that have hidden meanings - ieJohn Boyega’sFinn is FN-2187, a nod to Leia’s holding cell in the Death Star detention block in the original film - it’s been theorized that Giacchino’s Stormtrooper number is a reference toGeorge Lucas’filmTHX 1138. Giacchino also had himself a small cameo role as Deputy Crawford in Abrams' 2011 sci-fi film,Super 8. According to/Film, Giacchino’s Stormtrooper throws Poe Dameron down in front of Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base, so keep an eye out for him the next time you see it.
Nigel Godrich’s Stormtrooper
You might not recognize the name, butNigel Godrichis the record producer and recording engineer forRadiohead, often referred to as the band’s “sixth man.” You can also refer to him as Stormtrooper FN-9330 from now on since that’s the designation his character was assigned inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. We’re not sure if that number has any particular significance, but we have an idea of where you might be able to spot him in the film. According toreddit, he’s the Stormtrooper who gets blasted by Han inside the Starkiller Base and gets sent flying into a wall. As for how he got involved with the picture at all, it seems like writer/directorEdgar Wrightmay have had something to do with it (or might just be joking), asInversereported:
