Unabashed Star Wars fan Simon Pegg has already lived out a life-long desire common to many of us, he's appeared in a Star Wars film; that lucky bugger. However his contributions to STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS consisted of a lot more than that simple appearance; J.J. Abrams spoke with Entertainment Weekly and revealed that Simon Pegg would drop by the set as often as could and served as a sounding board for Abrams to bounce ideas off of.
He was a wonderful partner in crime to kick the story around and ask questions and come up with ideas, and he was an incredibly helpful part of the process for all of us. I’m very grateful. He would drop by the set because he wanted to, and when he could, he would help… We could talk about things, and he was a perfect combination of incredibly smart screenwriter, fan of the series, critical fan of the series, and friend of mine – but not just blindly supportive. He was an honest, critical friend. And he wasn’t so close to it that he became immune to things. He would come in with fresh eyes and very smart ideas. He’s one of a handful of people along the way that has been really priceless.
As a friend of Abrams and as a fan of the series, Pegg definitely has a lot to bring to the Star Wars table but more importantly, as J.J mentions, Pegg could also be honest and critical when it called for it instead of being just another "yes man." J.J. Abrams also addressed the frequent rumour that Daniel Craig will be making his own cameo appearance in the film by saying, "I’ve been asked to say nothing by Her Majesty’s Secret Service." Nice dodge.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS opens on December 18, 2015.