Daniel Craig Reveals The Worst Part Of His Star Wars Cameo 10 Years Later

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Ten years after Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out, Daniel Craig shared what he disliked most about his brief appearance in the film. He played an uncredited stormtrooper during the scene where Rey (Daisy Ridley) is captured on Starkiller Base. Specifically, he was the stormtrooper Rey uses a Jedi mind trick on to escape her bonds.

Before the new movie came out, Daniel Craig’s appearance was a secret. It wasn’t until after the film was released that people found out about his cameo. This came about because Craig was filming the James Bond movie Spectre at the same time. He spoke with Ben Dixon, a second assistant director on both Spectre and The Force Awakens, about being in the new Star Wars film, and director J.J. Abrams made it happen.

So, I was listening to Sirius XM while they were promoting Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and they asked Craig about the stormtrooper suit. Apparently, it wasn’t exactly a comfortable experience! He said it actually smelled pretty bad, and the sleeves were so long and stiff they made his thumb ache for a whole week. But even with all that, he’s really glad he got to do it. You can hear what he had to say yourself below!

Stunt performers often wear this while working in the desert, so it tends to get pretty smelly. My sleeves were also too long, and the material was so stiff it numbed my thumb for about a week. Aside from that, it worked really well.

Rian Johnson, who directed and wrote The Last Jedi, the follow-up to The Force Awakens, collaborated with Ram Bergman on the sequel trilogy before they made the Knives Out films. Even before the first Knives Out movie was conceived and while The Force Awakens was being filmed, Johnson had already realized someone in a stormtrooper costume wasn’t just an extra.

During a press event for Wake Up Dead Man in New York City, Rian Johnson remembered a specific scene and asked who played the stormtrooper. It turned out to be Daniel Craig, as confirmed during the Q&A session led by Abrams.

While I was working on the eighth episode, J.J. Abrams was filming the seventh. I remember watching the footage from that day – it was a scene with Daisy Ridley using the Force to control a stormtrooper and get him to open something for her. When we watched the dailies, the stormtrooper didn’t say a line, he just walked across the room to her after she used her powers.

I remember asking, “Who’s that actor?” Pablo Hidalgo at Lucasfilm thought it was just a stunt performer in a Stormtrooper costume, but I insisted it was a real actor – I could tell by the way they moved.

Even though the stormtrooper costume was uncomfortable, Craig made a strong impression in the role, catching the attention of director Rian Johnson with just his walk. Beyond simply making the small part memorable, Craig’s performance was key to a significant moment in Star Wars history: it’s on him that Rey performs her first Jedi mind trick and realizes the full extent of her connection to the Force.

Daniel Craig is famous for his roles in movies like Knives Out and James Bond, but his appearance in Star Wars officially adds him to the history of that iconic franchise. As Star Wars: The Force Awakens marks its 10th anniversary, his contribution is a notable part of the film’s lasting impact.

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2025-11-06 01:28