Last week we traveled to San Francisco for the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story junket where saw footage from the film at Skywalker Ranch, toured Lucasfilm, and interviewed some of the cast and crew of the franchise’s first standalone spinoff anthology film.
We had the chance to speak with Alan Tudyk, who plays ex-Imperial Enforcer Droid K-2SO twice and our second conversation veered a little into the actor’s passion project: Con Man. And it was here where we learned that there almost was a Con Man Easter Egg in Rogue One based on Alan Tudyk playing another character in the film - an Imperial pilot.
The scene got cut but the plan initially was to have that second character credited as Wray Nerely, Tudyk’s protagonist character in Con Man, but sadly it was not to be.
My team has several fans of Con Man and I promised I would ask this: The first season riffs on your experience - A supporting actor in a short-lived sci-fi show. In season two, now that you’re this massive Star Wars movie, does that sort of thing play into season two?
You had a cameo as yourself?
Alan Tudyk: There was a scene that got cut from the movie, from this movie, where I was myself, my own face - I was an Imperial pilot.
You should squeeze it into the marketing or on the DVD or something like that.
Alan Tudyk: I had a cameo but I asked to be credited as Wray Nerely, which is my character in Con Man and they were fully onboard with it. They were like, “Absolutely!” Because I was editing season one while we were shooting Star Wars, so it was on my mind all the time. I showed it at the screen at Pinewood Studios while we were shooting the movie. I showed a ten-minute section of it because the producers were so supportive of it. So I did it, it was going to be Wray Nerely and then it got cut - which is actually more Wray Nerely that he was nearly in the movie but the he lost it. “I had a role!” and then…crap!
Season two of Con Man is now out so check it out to see the latest misadventures of Wray Nerely!
Alan Tudyk: Maybe. They’d be like, “Who put this in?” It would’ve been cool. I don’t think Wray could have a career as fortunate as mine. He wouldn’t be so bitter and you really need that engine in the middle of it.
Next: Alan Tudyk VIDEO Interview for Rogue One
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From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, with Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel are producing, with John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The story is by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, and the screenplay is by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy.
Share your thoughts on the user of the Force in a movie with no Jedi in the comments! And what movie would you want to see from the Star Wars franchise if you could help Lucasfilm choose their next Anthology spinoff?
