It's said that a good work of art keeps people talking about it for a long time after it comes out, so here we are again talking about Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. The second installment in the sequel trilogy may be divisive, but it's one of the movies with the most Easter eggs and cameos in the whole franchise — so much so, we're always digging to find new stuff out. There are some obvious cameos, like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards in the Resistance trenches in Crait, or Justin Theroux as the Master Codebreaker in Canto Bight, but the most fun ones are hidden even deeper. From Hollywood royalty to actual royals, there are a lot of people to look for in this movie; let's see where they all are.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
PG-13
Sci-Fi
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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The Star Wars saga continues as new heroes and galactic legends go on an epic adventure, unlocking mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Release Date
December 15, 2017
Director
Rian Johnson
Cast
Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Oscar Isaac , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong'O
Runtime
152 minutes
Writers
Rian Johnson , George Lucas
Michaela Coel Warns the Resistance Before Kylo Ren’s Attack
After the Resistance successfully evacuates their base on D'Qar, their flagship, the Raddus, comes out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere, so they have time to regroup and figure out next steps. They don't have much time, though, as Supreme Leader Snoke's (Andy Serkis) flagship, the Supremacy, has tracked them through hyperspace. The bridge of the Raddus is in disarray, and a familiar-faced officer confirms the Supremacy's arrival. This is none other than I May Destroy You and Chewing Gum creator, Michaela Coel.
The part is brief, it's barely three seconds and contains only one line, not quite enough to match Coel's talent. She didn't even think it would make the final cut: “I'm so serious. It's literally, I [sit] on the spaceship and I say three words. And they probably didn't even make the movie.” As brief as it was, though, she still loved the experience — and we loved having her in the franchise: “One line, but I loved it because it's Star Wars, and John Boyega’s bloody lovely.”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Brings the Beastie Boys to the Canto Bight Casino
When Finn (John Boyega) and Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) get to Canto Bight, they leave their shuttle on the beach and hurry to the casino, prompting one of the patrons, an Abednedo called Slowen-Lo, to call the police on them. While his alien body is played by droid operator Dee Tails, his voice is performed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a long-time Rian Johnson collaborator; the duo also worked together on 2005's Brick and 2012's Looper.
That's not all about Slowen-Lo, however. His name is a reference to "Slow and Low," a classic Beastie Boys song in their 1986 album License to Ill. This continues a tradition started by J.J. Abrams in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens of having Abednedo aliens with names that reference the Beastie Boys. Back then, X-Wing pilot Ello Asty was named after the 1998 album Hello Nasty. Unfortunately, Abrams himself chose not to continue this weird tradition in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
The Canto Bight casino is also packed with cameos that can be missed in the blink of an eye. Right beside the Master Codebreaker, for example, is British actress Lily Cole. Playing the preternaturally lucky alien Wodibin is Warwick Davis, a Star Wars veteran who has been in every franchise trilogy. Finally, in a very brief appearance, the faithful canine companion of Carrie Fisher, Gary Fisher, plays a small creature in the casino.
Princes William and Harry & Tom Hardy Catch Up With Finn in a Deleted Scene
During filming in London's Pinewood Studios, The Last Jedi set was visited by Princes William and Harry of the British Royal Family. It was more than just a visit, though — every chance to get an actual royal in Star Wars must be seized. So the two princes play First Order Stormtroopers in a scene set in an elevator on the Supremacy, Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship, when Finn, Rose, DJ (Benicio del Toro), and BB-8 infiltrate the ship on a mission to save the Resistance.
It wasn't just the royals in this scene, though. Tom Hardy and Take That singer Gary Barlow are also Stormtroopers in that same elevator, and Hardy even plays an old acquaintance of Finn's, TK-926. The scene ended up being cut, but it's hilarious. 926 playfully says he never took Finn for a captain, but is happy for him and even smacks him on the butt saying "hi-ho." William, Harry, and Barlow don't have lines, unfortunately, but Hardy's are enough to make anyone laugh.
A Pair of ‘The VVitch’ Cameos Make for Terrifying First Order Officers
In that same elevator scene, before the Stormtroopers appear, a First Order agent is seen in the background asking Finn to hold the elevator for him, and is promptly ignored. He may seem familiar, especially for horror fans, as he's none other than The VVitch's Ralph Ineson. His cameo is brief and, of course, was mostly cut, but he can still be seen escorting Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) when she arrests Finn, Rose, and BB-8. Ineson tweeted about his experience, citing: "I ended up 80% on the cutting room floor, as they say. Shame, but I am in it."
He's not the only alum from The VVitch in The Last Jedi, either. Kate Dickie, who plays Ineson's wife in the Robert Eggers horror, is present in the opening battle sequence, the evacuation of D'Qar. She plays a rather blasé First Order operator aboard General Hux's (Jack Gleeson) Star Destroyer. She is the one who notifies Hux of Poe Dameron's (Oscar Isaac) approach, and allows a holotransmission by Supreme Leader Snoke to reach Hux right on the Star Destroyer's bridge. This is Dickie's first Star Wars role, as she also voices an Imperial officer in the Star Wars: Visions Season 2 episode "In the Stars."
Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish Are Ragged Resistance Troopers on Crait
Another place in The Last Jedi that is packed with great cameos is the Resistance base on Crait. Apart from Gareth Edwards in the salt trenches, dialect coach Andrew Jack also plays the small role of General Caluan Ematt, who first confirms the First Order's coming attack. As the First Order prepares their battering ram cannon outside, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and BB-8 show up to say the base's huge door is the only way in or out of the base.
As the droids talk, a group of ragged Resistance soldiers can be seen in the background. They are played by British filmmakers Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish — both of whom are friends with Rian Johnson — Wright's brother, Oscar Wright, and his producing partner, Leo Thompson. Cornish has another tie to Star Wars, as he directed John Boyega's breakthrough performance in the sci-fi comedy Attack the Block, which is way overdue for a sequel, frankly.
Mark Hamill’s Children Watch As Their Father Faces Down the First Order
The most fun cameos at the Crait base happen once Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is walking toward the exit to face the First Order. Three blonde Resistance soldiers stand up to witness the return of Skywalker, and those are played Hamill's actual children: Chelsea Hamill plays Koo Millham (whose last name is an obvious play on "Hamill"), Griffin Hamill plays Salaka Kuchimba, and Nathan Hamill plays Saile Minnau.
Nathan's character actually has an interesting backstory. In Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, Nathan also has a cameo as a Naboo clerk called Rehtul Minnau, who shares the same last name as his character in The Last Jedi. It's never been confirmed, but Nathan stated on his Tumblr that he considers Rehtul to be Saile's grandfather, which is a neat piece of headcanon. Also, Mark Hamill himself has a cameo in The Last Jedi, too. Besides Luke Skywalker, he plays Dobbu Scay, the crazy Canto Bight patron that keeps inserting coins in BB-8.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch on Disney+
