Simon Pegg is in the new Star Wars film according to Benedict Cumberbatch, or is he? Last weekend, according to Vulture , Cumberbatch let slip at Comic-Con that he’d seen Simon Pegg on the set of Star Wars Episode VII when he visited. That led to an avalanche of rumors over whether or not the Shaun of the Dead star was playing a role in the new Star Wars film.
It makes sense.
Simon Pegg, who has been in no less than three films directed by Star Wars Episode VII director JJ Abrams, is a self-stylized Star Wars fanatic, and is very coy when it comes to mega sci-fi secrets — a-la Cumberbatch’s role in Star Trek: Into Darkness .
Vulture caught up with Simon Pegg on Sunday night at the East Hampton screening of Hector and the Search for Happiness and asked Pegg point blank whether or not he was in the new Star Wars film. They mentioned Cumberbatch’s comments, to which, Simon replied,
“Yes, Benedict said something at Comic-Con and on MTV.”
When Vulture pressed for more information, Pegg offered the following:
“Well, JJ uses me in different roles, and we’re good friends. I feel like my face in ‘Star Wars’ would pop people out of the movie. Look, I love ‘Star Wars,’ and I don’t want people to watch and go, ‘Oh, there’s Simon Pegg’s face.’ The film is cleverly cast with these amazing, unknown actors.”
As a result of Simon’s non-answer answer. Vulture pressed for clarification:
“Of course, I visited the set. It’s amazing, and I love ‘Star Wars.’ I want to see everything happening. It looks wonderful, and you need to believe those characters. Any type of stunt casting might just pop you out of the movie.”
Simon Pegg mentioned his face a few times in the exchange, leading many to wonder whether or not Pegg might be a digital, motion-capture creature devised by Andy Serkis’
For veterans of movie rumors, Pegg’s non-admission speaks more to him being in the film in some capacity rather than not. Historically, if actors aren’t in films, they say they’re not in films. Simon Pegg’s longstanding love for the Star Wars saga, combined with his friendship with the director of Star Wars Episode VII , means there’s no way on Earth Simon didn’t ask Abrams to be in the film — even if it’s just in a cameo. Their friendship probably means that JJ accommodated Pegg in some way, shape or form — hence we’re betting Simon Pegg will be in the new Star Wars film.
