Disney and director J.J. Abrams are widening their search for actors to play characters in Star Wars: Episode VII. As Saoirse Ronan said about a month ago, they're auditioning everyone in Hollywood, and now they're auditioning anyone nationwide who wants to send in a video submission. Casting calls will still happen in the U.K. and a few U.S. cities, and there's a possibility of a meet-and-greet with casting director Maryellen Aviano (Inception). I can only imagine the nightmare of who has to watch all of these even though they obviously won't watch from start to finish, and they may not even start based on a headshot.

Hit the jump for more including descriptions of the roles, and how to submit an audition tape. Star Wars: Episode VII opens in 3D on December 18, 2015.

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Disney is looking for actors to play "Rachel" and "Thomas", which are almost certainly code names. We also don't know if these are lead roles. Here are the descriptions:

RACHEL: Young woman to play 17-18 Years old. Must be beautiful, smart and athletic. Open to all ethnicities (including bi- and multi-racial).

Was quite young when she lost her parents. With no other family, she was forced to maker her way alone in a tough, dangerous town. Now 17 she has become street smart and strong. She is able to take care of herself using humor and guts to get by.

Always a survivor, never a victim, she remains hopeful that she can move away from this harsh existence to a better life. She is always thinking of what she can do to move ahead.

THOMAS: Young man to play 19-23 years old. Must be handsome, smart and athletic. Must be over 18.

Has grown up without a father's influence. Without the model of being a man, he doesn't have the strongest sense of himself. Despite this, he is smart, capable and shows courage when it is needed. He can appreciate the absurdities in life and understands you can't take life too seriously.

As CS reminds us, for Super 8, the casting call provided descriptions that turned out to be different from the final character. The way this works is that the descriptions are meant to bring out certain emotions. As for the actors, I'm ambivalent about casting unknowns. You might get Hailee Steinfeld or you might get Hayden Christensen.

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Image via Lucasfilm