— ZERO spoilers lie ahead for The Last Jedi —
Tom Hardy has finally confirmed that he cameos as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After storming into theaters last weekend, Episode 8 is pretty much the biggest thing on Earth at the moment. The latest entry in the Star Wars saga racked up spectacular reviews on its way to a massive $450 million haul, giving it the fifth best opening weekend ever. Its $220 million domestic tally was actually good for second all-time, trailing only The Force Awakens. Episode VIII accomplished all this despite its widely-publicized and divisive reception from moviegoers. The surprisingly negative backlash has actually left it with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes audience score in the franchise. That’s right; according to the Tomatometer, fans dislike TLJ more than the prequels.
Despite The Last Jedi’s controversial changes to the Star Wars franchise, the saga will undoubtedly continue on as the most beloved fictional universe around. Its hyper-popularity extends far beyond the geeks and nerds of the world, of course. The rich and famous love this far, far away galaxy as much as the rest of us. They just have an easier time landing an actual role in it, is all.
Related: 16 Cameos You Completely Missed In The Last Jedi
TLJ was packed with celebrity appearances, but arguably the biggest one of all has remained something of a question mark. Until now, that is. After over a year and a half of playing off rumors that he’d be the next Hollywood star to sneak himself into a Star Wars film, Tom Hardy has officially confirmed that he did indeed cameo as a stormtrooper in The Last Jedi. His original Instagram post has since been taken down, but you can check out a reposted version below.
Rumors that Hardy would be appearing in The Last Jedi first popped up way back in May of last year. But while Hardy himself managed to steer clear of the rumor mill for months on end, TLJ star John Boyega actually spilled the beans back in August. Damn it, Finn!
In the end, it didn’t end up mattering all that much. As of now, it’s still pretty unclear just when Hardy’s stormtrooper pops up onscreen — or even if he does. Early reports that Hardy’s character slaps Finn on the behind to congratulate him on his promotion proved to be unfounded. Of course, it’s also possible that Hardy’s role ended up on the cutting room floor, like Prince Harry and Prince William’s did. The Instagram post doesn’t offer up too many clues, either, merely that his scene (or scenes) likely took place onboard a First Order spacecraft. If any of you heard a distinctly Tom Hardy-like voice, or managed to spot a helmetless stormtrooper that looked a lot like Max Rockatansky, let us know in the comments!
Next: 25 Things You Completely Missed In The Last Jedi
