<P> In May, Abrams announced a donation contest for UNICEF from the Star Wars set in Abu Dhabi; the winner was allowed to visit the set, meet members of the cast and appear in the film . In October 2014, Warwick Davis, who played Wald and Weazle in The Phantom Menace and Wicket in Return of the Jedi, announced that he would appear in The Force Awakens, but did not reveal his role . In November 2014, Debbie Reynolds confirmed that her granddaughter (Fisher's daughter), Billie Lourd, is in the film . Isaac's uncle, a Star Wars fan, was cast as an extra at the invitation of Abrams upon visiting the set . </P> <P> In December 2015, The Mail reported that Ford would be paid $25 million, plus a 0.5% share of the revenue . Ridley and Boyega each would receive $460,000, plus a share if the movie grossed over $1 billion . Fisher received $1.5 million; Abrams was paid $5.1 million, plus a 2% share of the revenue . For the original 1977 film, Ford was paid $10,000 (equivalent to $40,000 in 2016). </P> <P> In February 2014, Abrams said filming would begin in May and last about three months . The official announcement came in March, when Disney and Lucasfilm announced that principal photography would commence in May and be based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom . That month, it was revealed that pre-production filming would take place in Iceland prior to the start of official filming in May, consisting of landscape shots that would be used for scenery in the film . In April, Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn confirmed that filming had begun, filming in secret in the U.A.E. emirate of Abu Dhabi by a second - unit . Later that month, it was revealed that in addition to 35mm film, segments of the film were being shot in the 65mm IMAX format . In July, Bad Robot reported on Twitter that the film would be at least partially shot on IMAX cameras . </P> <P> On May 4, 2014 (Star Wars Day), the studio posted a selfie taken by Iger with an unidentified actor in a Chewbacca costume . Iger stated the photo was taken when he visited Pinewood Studios two weeks earlier to discuss the shoot, "which was just about to start", with Abrams, Kennedy, and Horn . Principal photography began in Abu Dhabi on May 16, 2014 . Abrams and the cast members went to Abu Dhabi in early - May, where large sets were built on location--including a shuttle - like spacecraft, a large tower, and a big market--and where explosives were used to create a "blast crater". Cast members were spotted practicing driving vehicles that would be used during filming . Production moved to Pinewood Studios in June . </P>

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