From J.J. Abrams to Emma Stone and Jon Hamm, Saturday Night Live got a celeb-studded lineup to appear in a sketch celebrating the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 — including two actual cast members from the film.
“When it was announced in 2013 that I would be directing a new Star Wars film, I immediately went to work, looking to cast the next generation of heroes,” the real Abrams says at the beginning of the Season 41 sketch. “And now, a month out from the film’s release, I thought it might be fun to show you some of the never-before-seen screen tests.”
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And fun it was, as the sketch rolled out one cameo after another amid the celebrity impressions.
Michael Bublé serenades Daisy Ridley in SNL’s “Star Wars Auditions” sketch
The pretaped sketch kicks off with actress Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey in The Force Awakens, reading lines with a variety of celebrities both real and impersonated by the Season 41 cast.
Jay Pharoah played basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal auditioning for Chewbacca, while Kate McKinnon got into character as Dame Maggie Smith, who wasn’t entirely sure what to do as a stormtrooper. Aidy Bryant also donned a red wig and a snake skin-fringed jacket as she impersonated country star Wynonna Judd testing for Ridley’s role.
“I know you do a lot of father storylines, but what about one about a mama? Or a horse? Or little lord Jesus Christ? Oh, yeehaw, now we’re having fun,” Bryant said in a country accent as she galloped away.
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Bobby Moynihan also transformed into Star Wars creator George Lucas, who really just wants a Coke Zero.
Elsewhere in the sketch, Emma Stone appeared as herself, auditioning for Rey, while John Boyega read for Finn, the British actor’s own role in the Star Wars movie. Dressed as Han Solo, Jon Hamm offered a few script notes. “I kinda wrote some of my own stuff,” the Mad Men star tells the camera. “You have the first line, it’s ‘What’s up, Hamm Solo?’ And I’m like, ‘How’s it going guys?’”
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One part of the sketch SNL fans couldn’t get enough of was Michael Bublé’s chemistry test with Ridley, wearing a shiny black tuxedo as he sang the 1928 classic “Makin’ Whoopee” with an updated lyric.
“Another season, another reason,” Bublé sings while looking into Ridley’s eyes. “For making Wookiee.”
“I now legitimately want a romantic movie starring Michael Bublé and Daisy Ridley,” one SNL viewer commented on YouTube, while another added, “I think Michael Bublé and Daisy Ridley passed the chemistry test.”
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Michael Bublé is a big Star Wars fan
Beyond appearing in a Star Wars sketch on SNL, Bublé is known to celebrate May the 4th on social media. In 2025, in fact, he dressed as Darth Vader to pick up his mail. He also celebrated his 41st birthday with a Star Wars cake.
Indeed, The Voice Coach is a big fan of the franchise, and several years ago wrote on his website that watching Star Wars “awakened my inner 8 year old.”
