Star Wars: Episode VII Welcomes Two Newcomers To The Cast

J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII has already enlisted a number of well known and extremely talented actors, from the members of the original cast to franchise-newbies like Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis and Max von Sydow. But the epic blockbuster is also opening some doors for new talent. We already know that young actors like John Boyega and Daisy Ridley will be having their profiles raised thanks to the help of the new Star Wars film, but now news has come down that they will be joined by two more newcomers.

StarWars.com has revealed that unknowns Crystal Clarke and Pip Anderson have signed on for parts in Star Wars: Episode VII. Both were found by the production through the open casting call that was held at the end of last year. Over 37,000 actors were considered from 11 cities in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 30,000 more submitted their applications online. Said producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about the most recent additions to the Star Wars cast,

"The Star Wars universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent and in casting Episode VII we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition. We are delighted that so many traveled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film."

The press released doesn't mention the actors' parts in the film, but Crystal Clarke is described as an American actress who is currently studying in Glasgow, Scotland. She has already worked on her first feature, The Moon and the Sun, which is expected to be released next year. You can see her official headshot below:

Crystal Clarke

As for Pip Anderson, we can probably expect that he will be involved in at least one big action scene, as he is a practitioner of parkour. To get a sense of his abilities I would recommend watching the video below, which is an ad he acted in for Sony, playing Spider-Man:

With production wrapped up in Abu Dhabi back in May, the Star Wars: Episode VII production is currently filming at the legendary Pinewood Studios in London. Next month the plan is to have a two-week hiatus that will allow Harrison Ford time to recover from his on-set injury last month. The official word is that the movie is still on schedule and is still going to come out on December 18, 2015.

Eric Eisenberg
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Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.