Unbelievable! George Lucas Was Secretly Hidden in The Phantom Menace for 25 Years!

In the Star Wars movies, Easter eggs are typically spotted quickly. However, there was a significant Easter egg in The Phantom Menace that went unnoticed for over 25 years. This hidden gem turned out to be a cameo of George Lucas himself! If you carefully observe a scene near the end of the film, specifically in Queen Amidala’s palace on Naboo, you can spot George Lucas’ face carved into a stone archway. (You can find it at the one hour, 58 minutes, and 17 seconds mark.) It was during an interview with matte artist Caroleen “Jett” Green that writer Clayton Sandell uncovered this secret. It seems that Green secretly inserted Lucas’ image into the film, where it lay undiscovered for years.

Green has built a distinguished career as a skilled matte painter, boasting an impressive portfolio. Her artistic abilities have been put to use on timeless films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Labyrinth, The Goonies, Independence Day, Titanic, and various Star Trek productions. After taking a brief break from Industrial Light & Magic, she returned when George Lucas embarked on the prequels in the late ’90s. Lucasfilm assigned her the responsibility of crafting the matte painting “set extensions” for the Naboo royal palace in Theed city during this period. It was then that she decided to add a playful tribute by incorporating an image of her bearded boss into the artwork.

In a conversation with Sendall, Green shared that while she was decorating the palace interior with her paintings, she noticed an empty space on a plaque atop an arch. She decided to place a picture of George there, but when shrunk down, his face became too blurry to be recognized. No one noticed it until she revealed the secret. At first, Green was anxious about Lucas’ reaction, but he only responded with “Oh, naughty, naughty.” Later, he simply said “Okay. Keep it in.” It turns out that this was Lucas’ first appearance in his famous saga, although there may be other hidden cameos we haven’t discovered yet. In the realm of Star Wars, new surprises are always emerging.

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2025-03-25 16:02