At the risk of stating the obvious, the Star Wars galaxy is full of people. Not only does it have a myriad of strange aliens, but it also sports several human factions. Among these are some faces that audiences might not remember.
That's natural given how many denizens populate each planet, but viewers may be shocked to discover some of the big names slipping into the Star Wars saga. One would think actors like these would stick out like a sore thumb. However, these famous faces got lost in the crowd.
8 Richard Armitage
Tall, dark, and handsome, Armitage has made a name for himself on both the big and small screen. His brooding exterior obviously aids in him with villains like Guy of Gisborne in 2006's Robin Hood show and the Great Red Dragon in Hannibal. However, it creates gravitas in more heroic roles like John Thornton in North & South, John Porter in Strike Back, Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit, and even Wolverine in the Canucklehead's audio drama. Many of Armitage's characters benefit from his distinctive pathos.
None of that comes into play during his brief time in Star Wars. During The Phantom Menace, he serves as a Naboo guard. He doesn't even get a close-up; he's just one of the guys in the background. Granted, this is still early in his career, but it nevertheless feels like a waste of talent.
7 Ray Stevenson
This imposing Englishman has played no shortage of character roles, many of them using his physical presence. Historical viewers likely know him as Titus Pullo in Rome, Blackbeard in Black Sails, and Othere in Vikings. Marvel fans may likewise recognize Stevenson as one of the Warriors Three in the Thor movies. Then again, maybe not. After all, these guys amounted to little more than throwaway sidekicks.
Thankfully, he gets a bit more depth in Star Wars, popping up in Rebels and The Clone Wars as Gar Saxon. This Mandalorian seeks to subjugate his people by aligning with Darth Maul and, later, the Empire. The creators must have had Rome on the mind during casting, as Kevin McKidd and Tobias Menzies voice similarly armored antagonists. Stevenson, though, is set to return in the Ahsoka Tano spin-off series. He'll probably play a different character since Saxon is long dead by this point.
6 Keira Knightley
Action fans probably know Knightley as the hot-tempered Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean or Guinevere in 2004's King Arthur, but she soon carved out a niche elsewhere. Since winning acclaim for Pride & Prejudice, the actress has starred in a plethora of period costume dramas. How fitting (sorry) that her part in Star Wars also calls for a complex wardrobe.
Knightley dresses as Queen Amidala throughout The Phantom Menace. She's not the queen herself, but rather a decoy. Her resemblance to Natalie Portman fueled her casting. Sadly, this means they use the same monotone voice while maintaining the regal persona. That's a shame considering how expressive Knightley usually is within her period pieces.
5 Rose Byrne
Byrne is currently a leading actress in several genres. Films like Neighbors and Spy gave her a foothold in the comedy world, and she's also entered the horror house with the Insidious flicks. Even a couple of X-Men entries are on her resume. What might not be on there is her small role in Attack of the Clones.
As Padme's handmaiden, Byrne only occasionally comes out of the background to say a line or two. This probably comes down to her mainly appearing in low-budget Australian films at the time. The same goes for Joel Edgerton, who himself has a tiny part as a young Uncle Owen. At least he's coming back for the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. Byrne only hit it big a couple of years later with Troy, a much more impressive war epic.
4 Julian Glover
Many know Glover for his recent role as the slimy Pycell in Game of Thrones, but he was a character actor for decades prior. The sneering Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only and Aragog the spider in the second Harry Potter movie are two prominent examples. Perhaps his best-known part is main villain Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Ironically, that opportunity came about due to his minor role in Star Wars. He has a bit part in The Empire Strikes Back as an Imperial officer, seen in the Battle of Hoth and periodically reporting to Darth Vader throughout the story. The original trilogy has numerous such officers, and many of them are variations on the same stuck-up Brit archetype. Viewers would be forgiven for not remembering Glover.
3 Keisha Castle-Hughes
Talk about being overqualified. Fantasy aficionados might recognize this Kiwi actress as one of the Sand Snakes from Game of Thrones. She's kicked around TV in recent years, heading shows like The Almighty Johnsons, On The Ropes, and FBI: Most Wanted. Back in the mid-2000s, however, she was earning all sorts of accolades for the film Whale Rider, even becoming the second-youngest Oscar nominee for Best Leading Actress.
Soon after this, Castle-Hughes showed up in Revenge of the Sith, albeit silently. She has a non-speaking cameo as the current Queen of Naboo. All she has to do is look sullen during Padme Amidala's funeral. The previous film already had a new queen. Why bring in someone else--let alone a rising star--for such an inconsequential part?
2 Malcolm McDowell
An icon of the British stage and screen, McDowell has occupied a myriad of colorful characters in genre films. A Clockwork Orange, Caligula, and Time After Time immediately come to mind. On top of this, the actor is also prominent in the voiceover realm. Metallo in Superman: The Animated Series, Mad Mod in Teen Titans, and Death in Castlevania are just a few of his entertaining entities. This was ultimately his path to Star Wars.
McDowell guest-starred in Rebels as an Imperial archivist. He's studying remnants of the Force deities from Mortis. Unfortunately, he doesn't get a chance to shine, as the episode also sees the return of Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor.
1 John Wayne
One of the biggest movie stars of all time (figuratively and literally), Wayne is practically synonymous with westerns. He tackled countless cowboy flicks of all different tones, dominating the screen in classics like Stagecoach, The Searchers, True Grit, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, and McClintock. The Duke's legacy doesn't stop there, though, as he also earned acclaim outside the western wheelhouse with works like The Quiet Man, The Longest Day, and The Sands of Iwo Jima. Even with this varied filmography, few would associate this star with a galaxy far, far away.
This makes it all the more surprising that John Wayne was in the very first film of the franchise, at least indirectly. What's more, it's a pivotal part. The heroes must flee the desert spaceport thanks to some sneaky snitching by a Garindan, a hooded anteater alien spying for the Empire. Its language consists of a series of squeaks. Sound designer Ben Burtt said that these squeaks are actually unused lines from Wayne's films. They're just distorted beyond recognition. The Duke probably never knew, but it's technically his last big-screen appearance before his death in 1979. Make of that what you will.