A Long-Rumored George Lucas ‘Cameo’ in The Phantom Menace Has Finally Been Uncovered

When people think about George Lucas playing a tiny role in his own fictional galaxy, they probably think of his brief turn as the blue-skinned Baron Papanoida in Revenge of the Sith. But it turns out he made an appearance in Star Wars a few years before that–in a sneaky easter egg from The Phantom Menace that’s finally been confirmed. Speaking to former ILM matte painter Caroleen “Jett” Green for his newsletter, reporter Clayton Sandell found the answer to a long rumored mystery: that somewhere, somehow, George Lucas made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Theed’s royal palace during The Phantom Menace. It turns out that unlike his turn as Papanoida, Lucas wasn’t actually in-person. And the cameo wasn’t his idea at first–because Lucas’s face appears painted into one of Green’s matte paintings to extend the background of the palace in the movie. The moment comes just under two hours into the film, as Padmé and a squad of Naboo guards run through a long hallway in the palace dur ... Read full article.