First seen in A New Hope, Imperial Stormtroopers from Star Wars serve as the military force of the Galactic Empire, enforcing rules and quashing any rebellions. However, the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, set after the fall of the Empire, portrays Stormtroopers as freelance special forces mercenaries taking orders from Moff Gideon, a former officer of the Imperial Security Bureau.
The idea for Star Wars troopers came from real-world history, specifically the Stormtroopers (Sturmtruppen), the elite shock troops of the Imperial German Army (Deutsches Heer). These soldiers specialized in quick commando-style raids and reconnaissance missions, infiltrating the trenches of World War I and wiping out enemy forces quickly.
Because standard Imperial Stormtrooper armor in Star Wars has a helmet, the average moviegoer normally has no idea who is under the white costume. A few known actors have thus made cameos as troopers and gone unnoticed.
Here are 7 actors you might not have known had secret cameos as Stormtroopers in Star Wars.
Daniel Craig in ‘The Force Awakens’
At the height of his James Bond fame, Daniel Craig played a Stormtrooper in The Force Awakens. The actor appears as FN-1824, the trooper who guards Rey during her captivity aboard Starkiller Base. The cameo happened when the film and Spectre were both filming around Pinewood Studios in England. Craig asked J.J. Abrams if he could make a cameo, and the director quickly found something for him. Before the movie came out, Craig denied the rumors, telling reporters, “Why would I ever do something like that for free?” But it turned out to be true. Mr. Bond had volunteered for the enemy (Cassian Andor and other spies need to disown him… haha).
Scavenger Scum!
With a peerless screenplay and great action sequences, The Force Awakens is a sweet film equivalent to Wookie cookies, Yoda Soda, and Ewok stew. And it helped erase the stain of a disastrous 2015 for Craig, who had even threatened to quit the Bond franchise. Spectre lacked the coherence and dramatic impact of his previous Bond movies, which had offered a realist stance on the lore. It was a lumbering, incoherent mess of a spy movie; whatever substance was in it had been smothered by plot excesses. Fans needed an awful lot of tolerance and stamina to see it through to the end, but the same cannot be said of the Star Wars installment. An involving, euphoric film, it succeeded in evoking the true horror of the Empire.
Craig’s scene is beautiful, too, with FN-1824, realizing his mission might have become much more challenging, but all the more interesting. “You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open,” Rey tells him. “I’ll tighten those restraints, scavenger scum,” the trooper retorts. Moments later, he does as told. Interestingly, Daisy Ridley (who plays Rey), had no idea Craig was behind the suit. The Bond actor would later joke that FN-1824 had more character development than most Bond extras.
Karl Urban in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
Karl Urban, best known for playing Billy Butcher in The Boys, had been friends with J.J. Abrams for years, having worked with the director in the 2009 Star Trek movie. Abrams reportedly invited Urban to make a cameo as a First Order Stormtrooper. During the quick Kijimi sequence, when the First Order troopers are clearing civilians out of the way. Urban’s character can be heard shouting “Knights of Ren!” away from the screen as Kylo Ren is walking down a hallway.
Great Cameo, but J.J. Abrams Butchered the Movie
Many people weren’t aware of the cameo until a year later. “I had the good fortune to go and visit The Rise of Skywalker set, and while I was there, J.J. put me in a Stormtrooper outfit. So I am one of those Stormtroopers,” the actor told Digital Spy.
Urban described the experience as a childhood dream come true, but neither fans nor critics were pleased with the film. This Star Wars installment grows so manic and absurd in pursuit of its own tail that it aggressively continues to lash when it really should be wrapping itself up in an immaculate knot. There isn’t even a shudder of a conclusive twist. With a 52% score, it’s one of the lowest-rated chapters on Rotten Tomatoes. Now that Urban is done with The Boys, he should perhaps return with an improved arc.
Tom Hardy in ‘The Last Jedi’
In early 2016, rumors spread, claiming that Hardy had filmed a secret cameo as a First Order Stormtrooper at Pinewood Studios. When The Last Jedi came out, he was nowhere on-screen or in the credits. However, when the Blu-ray was released in 2018, Hardy appeared as a trooper. In the scene, Finn and Rose slowly walk through a corridor in full disguise, but are confronted by a Stormtrooper (played by Hardy), who recognizes Finn but slaps him on the rear, banters with him, and moves on instead of exposing him.
Justice for Hardy
It’s a major crime to leave a Tom Hardy scene on the cutting room floor, and whether this choice contributed to the film’s success or ruined it is anyone’s guess. But, in all fairness, the idea of a friendly trooper slapping Finn’s butt must have been considered too ridiculous to keep. It wouldn’t have fit the tone of the infiltration sequences. Perhaps director Rian Johnson should have come up with something better for the Brit.
In a 2025 red carpet interview for MobLand, Hardy expressed openness to returning in a more prominent capacity: “I’d love to have a proper Star Wars role. That cameo was a thrill, but imagine sinking my teeth into something bigger—like a Sith or a rogue smuggler,” he said, adding, “The universe is endless; why not?” We’d all love to see Hardy in a future movie. Make it happen… whoever makes things happen at Disney.
Jason Sudeikis & Adam Pally in ‘The Mandalorian’
Jason Sudeikis, better known as the titular character in Ted Lasso, played one half of a Stormtrooper duo with Adam Pally (The Mindy Project) in the Season 1 finale of The Mandalorian, directed by Taika Waititi. In the opening scene, the two scout troopers are seen waiting for orders outside Nevarro following Moff Gideon’s takeover of the city. When Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, makes noises, Sudeikis’s trooper controversially repeatedly punches the bag he’s in twice to make him shut up.
Meanest Trooper?
Viewers can always expect such a crazy moment from anything made by Taika Waititi, but the viral scene was controversial, considering how beloved Grogu is. Moreso, it’s morally wrong to punch a baby. Sudeikis reportedly received mock “hate mail” from franchise fans. Thankfully, in the scene, an IG-11 droid (voiced by Waititi) soon arrives and kills both troopers, saving Grogu. A better scene involves Adam Pally’s trooper checking his aim with a blaster and hilariously missing the target. (How did he even become a trooper?).
Who would have thought that ‘Ted Lasso’ would one day become the most hated person in the galaxy, more despised than some of the vile villains? Today, fans continue to debate the scene, but there is no doubt that The Mandalorian is a brilliant show. While many other Star Wars productions are pitched at the level of high-flying cliché, achieving commercial eloquence and little more, the TV show (and maybe Andor) is as close as we are likely to come to a masterpiece.
Kevin Smith in ‘The Force Awakens’
Kevin Smith of the Mallrats, Clerks, and Jay & Silent Bob fame has always been a huge fan of the space opera franchise, claiming he “fell in love 42 years ago.” His cameo came about after a brief series of events in 2015. While promoting his Hollywood Babble-On podcast at San Diego Comic‑Con, his event was overshadowed by a Star Wars gathering run by J.J. Abrams, so he jokingly posted online, claiming that the director owed him. Abrams responded, saying, “They’ve all got voices — come in and do a voice.” Smith thus ended up voicing a First Order Stormtrooper during the attack on Maz Kanata’s Castle in The Force Awakens.
A Bonus Role
Smith’s role might not have meant a lot to fans, but it was a great mark of behind-the-scenes compassion and friendship. Interestingly, the comedy actor would later be given another cameo. When Smith had a heart attack in 2018, Abrams reached out, saying: “Live through this, and I’ll put you in Episode 9!” And he kept that promise. In The Rise of Skywalker, Smith, credited as a “bundled-up local,” on Planet Kijimi, walks beside a cyborg just before Poe Dameron’s scene.
The second opportunity meant even more for Smith. Speaking to ComicBook.com, he described it as “a rare sensation I haven’t had since I was an action-figure collecting kid in 1983.” Abrams should probably have given him more screentime, subject to no directorial interference, to allow us to see his funny side. But the celebrated filmmaker seems like the kind of person who’d be totally uninterested in anything that doesn’t connect with the mass franchise fanbase. We’ll take it.
Ben Schwartz in ‘The Force Awakens’
Three years after the premiere of The Force Awakens, Ben Schwartz, best known for roles like Jean-Ralphio in Parks and Recreation and voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in the three recent blockbuster movies, surprised his fans on X with pictures of himself as a trooper on the set of the film. Unfortunately, the actor’s exact scene is still unknown, even to him. Hundreds of Stormtroopers appear in the movie, making it hard to tell which one is Schwartz. A few spoken lines would have helped solve the mystery.
Hard To Spot, Like the Items in Luthen Rael’s Gallery
Schwartz had a more prominent role as the voice of BB-8 in the same picture, so his trooper cameo must have been an organic development, stemming from his time on the set. Well, anyone with dreams of playing a trooper should be warned, as it isn’t a comfortable experience. “Moving in the Stormtrooper armor was difficult,” Schartz told James Corden, lamenting about the rigid plating.
Still, Schwartz must be proud of having two roles in the same movie. And there’s more. He voiced Jaxxxon in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past and TAY-O in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Schwartz’s face might not have appeared on-screen, but with four roles, he is now a legend of the franchise. It won’t be surprising to see him as another character in the fictional universe down the line.