Get to Know the New Star Wars Stars with These Movies and Shows

In addition to the stars we know and love—Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew—The Force Awakens includes a number of new names that you may not be familiar with. Before the new movie comes out in just under a month, do yourself a favor and take some time to get to know them!

Because the new actors in the movie don’t have illustrious careers behind them, you may not have seen them yet; but they all have at least some credentials. Here are 16 movies and shows that will help you get to know the new faces:

  • Ex Machina: Domnhall Gleason (General Hux) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) both have amazing performances in this AI thriller.
  • Game of Thrones: Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma) plays Brienne of Tarth, a loyal knight and companion; Jessica Henwick (Jessika Pava) also makes an appearance as Nymeria Sand.
  • Blue Season: Daisy Ridley (Rey) plays Sarah in this sci-fi thriller short; though its reviews aren’t stellar, this is one of Ridley’s only non-TV appearances (the interactive film Lifesaver is another).
  • Hungry Hearts: Adam Driver (Kylo Ren)’s relationship is put to the test when he’s confronted with a life-or-death situation.
  • Inside Llewelyn Davis: Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) star in the Coen Brothers’ look at the 1960s folk scene.
  • Star Trek: if you don’t know who Simon Pegg is, you’re missing out—check out Star Trek and enjoy his performance as Scotty.
  • Scream Queens: Billie Lourd has a small role in TFA, but she’s been a regular on this comedy-horror David Harbour movies and tv shows for a while.
  • Attack the Block: John Boyega (Finn) helps defend his London block from an alien invasion (if you can find a way to watch Imperial Dreams, check that one out, too).
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron: Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke) has a small role as Klaw; to see what he can do as a voice actor, check out Rise of the Planet of the Apes, where he voices Caesar.
  • 12 Years a Slave: Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata) plays Patsey in this highly acclaimed drama.
  • The Seventh Seal: Max Von Sydow is one of the greatest actors of all time, and this 1958 drama about a knight during the Black Plague proves it.
  • The Originals: Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Korr Sella) plays a member of a family of vampires trying to take back the city they built—what more could you ask for?
  • The Raid 2: although Iko Uweis and Cecip Arif Rahman are only rumored to be involved in TFA, they could have a phenomenal effect on the fight choreography (be warned; this movie is extremely brutal).

If you’ve seen some of these movies and TV shows, you’re ahead of the game. If not, you better get watching soon!


Dann Albright

Dann is a lifelong Star Wars fan, heavy metal and hardcore aficionado, and freelance writer. When he's not writing, he can usually be found mountain biking, training for a marathon, or reading science fiction novels. To get in touch, tweet him @dann_albright or head to www.dannalbright.com.