As notable as a John Wayne cameo inStar Warswould be, his appearance inA New Hopewent unnoticed for 30 years, before the full details about this cameo were revealed. TheStar Warsfranchise is no stranger to cameos, particularly in its current TV show era, but it was quite rare to see such appearances during the original trilogy era, whenStar Warswas just starting to make a name for itself. Even so, they still managed to make John Wayne a part of the very firstStar Warsmovie, though his role remained a mystery for years.
In fact, this role of Wayne’s inStar Warsis so mysterious that his name doesn’t even appear anywhere in the credits forA New Hope. Even Wayne’s IMDb profile doesn’t have his appearance inStar Warslisted. Despite this, Wayne’s role truly does exist, and it is an important (albeit small) part of the movie. It may not be as apparent as the role his grandsonBrendan Wayne plays as one of three main Din Djarin actorsinThe Mandalorian, but Wayne’s legacy is now forever tied toStar Wars, and here’s how.
John Wayne’s Star Wars Cameo Is One You’d Never Have Spotted
It’s A Voice-Only Role
The gunslinging actor’sStar Warscameo is voice-only, as his old dialogue was worked into a sequence onTatooine. When creating the sound for the insect-like creature now known as Garindan, who acts as an Imperial informant in the Mos Eisley spaceport, the crew crafted a mix that had a buzzing sound effect to truly emulate that of a mosquito, which is what the Kubaz species inStar Warslooks like. It wasn’t until 30 years later that it was revealedthis buzzing sound came from Wayne’s own scrapped dialogue for another film, meaning Wayne technically voices Garindan.
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This was discovered by sound designer Ben Burtt, who had gone back to his original tapes out of curiosity. Wanting to understand how it all came together,Burtt studied his work, and he picked up on a human voice providing this buzzing voice from his synthesizer. That’s when he identified it as Wayne’s voice, saying something along the lines of “all right, what are you doin’ in this town?”
Star Wars Was Technically John Wayne’s Last Movie Appearance
It Was Released 2 Years Prior To His Death
With this in mind,Star Warsis technically Wayne’s last appearance in a movie, withhis official last credit being in 1976 - one year beforeStar Warswas released. Wayne may not have even known that his voice was used in this movie, given the fact it was a secret for so long, but the legacy of it still stands today. Garindan’s scene has become nothing short of iconic in its own right, and adding this layer to it only makes it that much more memorable. It’s certainly a unique cameo inA New Hope, but nevertheless a memorable one.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
