Meet the Two Additional Cast Members for Star Wars: Episode 7

Lucasfilm and Disney have remained faithful to the "Star Wars" tradition of discovering and nurturing young talents in the cast. The companies recently announced two new additional cast members for "Star Wars: Episode 7."

Meet American actress Crystal Clarke and British actor Pip Andersen.

The New Jersey-born actress is currently enrolled at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she starred in "Jack and the Beanstalk," "The Beaux Strategem," "Macbeth" and "The Cherry Orchard" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"

For her first feature, Crystal Clarke stars in "The Moon and the Sun" directed by Sean McNamara which is scheduled for release in 2015. She had also starred in short films "White Romeo" which was directed by Bernd Porr and in "Ben Cook's Champagne and Friction" which was directed by Charlotte Goessens.

Meanwhile, the Pip Anderssen has more than 5 years of professional parkour/freerunning experience under his belt. The British actor is a member of the pro freerunning team Storm Freerun and has worked with some of the largest companies in the world. He had showcased his parkour skills in a 2012 Spider Man ad for Sony (video below).

The two additional cast members have been chosen from the massive open casting call which spanned 11 cities across the United States and United Kingdom. Over 37,000 hopefuls attended the events and additional 30,000 applicants submitted online.

According to the Star Wars Web site, Lucasfilm and Disney "hunted high and low" in search of undiscovered young talents.

"We are delighted that so many travelled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film," producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated.

The roles of the two new cast members are not yet clear. But Variety reports Lucasfilm and Disney announced a casting call in November for two characters. One character is a "beautiful, smart and athletic" 17- to 18-year-old woman named Rachel and the other character is a "handsome, smart and athletic" 19- to 23-year-old man named Thomas.

Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen will join returning stars Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. There are also new cast members included in the upcoming film, namely Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong'o, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis.

"Star Wars: Episode 7" is presently shooting at Pinewood Studios in London, UK. The film is set for release on Dec. 18, 2015.

Watch Pip Andersen in the Sony Commercial from YouTube.

(Credit: YouTube/piptrix)

Watch the Star Wars: Episode 7 trailer from YouTube.