Tom Hardy plays a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Last Jedi – you know it, I know it, and based on John Boyega’s exasperated comments, the cameo has since become something of an open secret.
Not unlike Daniel Craig’s involvement in The Force Awakens, Hardy was hidden under the guise of a First Order Stormtrooper, one who escorted Finn (Boyega) and Rose to the bridge of the Supremacy, a super-sized warship capable of building and indeed repairing entire Star Destroyers. Yes, Snoke’s HQ really is that big.
But thanks to an Instagram fan account by the name of ‘TomTomHardy’ (via Screen Rant), today brings forth a black-and-white photo of Tom Hardy suited, booted and ready to take the fight to the Resistance. Flanked by a squadron of Stormtroopers, along with a high-ranking officer (Hux, perhaps?), the image itself isn’t all that revealing, nor is it likely to include any spoiler-sensitive material, as Hardy’s co-workers are concealed by giant skull emojis.
Also of note, while Prince William and Harry originally filmed cameos of their own, those bit parts were left on the editing room floor as Rian Johnson downsized The Last Jedi to the much more manageable runtime of two-and-a-half hours.
Here’s a previous comment from John Boyega confirming that removal:
They cut it out of the film. I did personally apologize to them yesterday and said, ‘Sorry you were cut out of the film.’ Will was like, ‘I guess I just need to work more on the skill.’
Other notable cameos in Star Wars: The Least Jedi include Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Canto Bight resident Slowen Lo, Gary Barlow as a Stormtrooper, and Baby Driver‘s Edgar Wright as a Resistance grunt. Lily Cole, Justin Theroux and Rogue One‘s Gareth Edwards also feature.
Bringing an end to months – nay, years – of hype and excitement, The Last Jedi opened late last week to rave reviews, but there has been a sizeable backlash against Rian Johnson’s sequel from a very vocal portion of the Star Wars community. Hell, there’s even a petition asking Lucasfilm to remove the film from canon, which is just as ridiculous as it sounds.
