It was announced Sunday that J.J Abrams has added two members to the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.
American actress Crystal Clarke and British actor Pip Anderson will be joining the cast. Both Clarke and Anderson came to Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures through an extensive open casting call that spanned across 11 cities in both the United States and United Kingdom.
President of Lucasfilm and producer Kathleen Kennedy expressed that, “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.”
At this time, it remains unclear as to what characters Clarke and Anderson will portray, but according to a November report from the Chicago Tribune, the description in the open casting call included two characters, one named Rachel and the other Thomas.
The character of Rachel was described as “street smart, independent, athletic, natural beauty” while the character of Thomas has “grown up without a father’s influence. Without the model of being a man, he doesn’t have the strongest sense of himself.”
Clarke’s credited roles include the upcoming film The Moon and the Sun, a fantasy film directed by Sean McNamara. As for Anderson, the parkour pro has yet to have any credited roles although he did appear in MTV’s Ultimate Parkour Challenge and a commercial for Spider-Man.
Along with the unveiling of two new cast member, it was announced that production for the film will be taking a two-week hiatus due to the ankle injury sustained by Harrison Ford.
Star Wars: Episode VII is slated for release on December 18, 2015.
