It's been nearly a decade since Disney ushered in a new era for Star Wars that undoubtedly changed the franchise forever with the release of The Force Awakens. Still, not many fans are aware that one iconic actor made a surprising cameo in the J.J. Abrams-directed epic. We're talking about James Bond star Daniel Craig, who made a short but memorable appearance in the 2015 flick. For the uninitiated, Craig played FN-1824, a Stormtrooper who was tasked with looking after an abducted Rey.
His only scene in the film saw his Stormtrooper character surrender to the Force-sensitive hero, who successfully used her Jedi mind trick ability after several attempts to escape the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order. The hilarious scene is forever etched in the minds of diehard Star Wars fans, but some are genuinely surprised after learning that Craig was behind the trooper.
Now, 10 years after his legendary cameo, Daniel Craig is finally opening up about it and reveals the worst part of his brief Star Wars involvement. Speaking with SiriusXM, Craig jokingly said that the cameo wasn't all that exciting before explaining how uncomfortable it was to don the Stormtrooper suit. The Knives Out actor revealed that the suit had an unpleasant smell after being worn by different stuntmen, and to make matters worse, the sleeves left his thumb hurting for a week.
It's basically worn by a lot of stuntmen out in the desert, so ... they don't smell great. Also, the sleeves on mine were too long, and it's solid, and I couldn't feel my thumb for a week. But otherwise, it was great.
Craig was interviewed alongside Knives Out director Rian Johnson, who helmed The Last Jedi, which is widely considered by many as the most polarizing entry in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. In the same interview, Johnson was asked if he was able to keep any memorabilia from the film, revealing that he has a set of lightsabers he brought home from the set of the 2017 blockbuster.
Daniel is obviously notable for his lengthy involvement in the James Bond films. As for the future of the Bond franchise, production for James Bond 26 is reportedly underway with Dune director Denis Villeneuve at the helm. Craig's successor has yet to be cast, but Variety reports that Amazon MGM wants a British actor under 30 to play the next Agent 007, with names like Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi, and Harris Dickinson reportedly at the top of its wishlist.
Star Wars wasn't the only big franchise Craig signed on for. The actor almost made it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was heavily rumored to make an appearance in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Balder the Brave, but he ultimately passed on the role. He was also previously attached to do Sgt. Rock over at DC Studios, a project that would have reunited him with his Queer director, Luca Guadagnino, but also dropped out of the project earlier this year for reasons still unconfirmed.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is available to stream on Disney+.
