When George Lucas was casting for ‘Star Wars’ he auditioned nearly every up-and-coming starlet in Hollywood.

Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Kurt Russell, Sissy Spacek, all passed through his audition room before he eventually plumped for Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and a carpenter named Harrison Ford.



Those actors went on to achieve superstardom thanks to Lucas, but they weren’t the only icons to feature in the ‘Star Wars’ films.



Here’s some thespians you never realised journeyed to that galaxy far, far away.

‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’



Keira Knightley – Sabé

Before she shot to fame in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ Keira Knightley had a minor role in ‘Phantom Menace’. She plays Amidala’s decoy Sabe, who is outed as a double to Natalie Portman’s character when meeting with Boss Nass.



Celia Imrie – Bravo 5

A stalwart of British film and television, Celia Imrie is fondly remembered for her appearances opposite Victoria Wood in shows like ‘Dinnerladies’ and ‘Acorn Antiques’. She played a Naboo pilot in ‘Phantom Menace’, the first female fighter pilot seen on-screen in the ‘Star Wars’ films.



Dominic West – Palace Guard

Before he was Detective Jimmy McNulty in ‘The Wire’, Dominic West played another law enforcer of sorts in ‘Phantom Menace’. He played a Palace Guard on Naboo, but you have to be sharp to spot him.



Sofia Coppola – Saché

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