‘Modern Family’ Star Sofia Vergara Turns Heads in a Red-Hot Dress Beside Anakin and Obi-Wan

Some museum openings feel like quiet cultural events, and others feel like the Oscars with a different dress code. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art clearly belonged in the second category. After years of delays and a reported $1B price tag, the long-awaited institution in Los Angeles finally held its big opening celebration.

The museum was founded by George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, and it sits in Exposition Park. Its 300,000-square-foot building was designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec, and Ma himself clarified on stage that it is modeled after a cloud, not a spaceship. Inside, more than 30 galleries trace visual storytelling from prehistoric cave paintings to comics, illustration and cinema.

Among the many famous guests to walk the galleries was Sofía Vergara, who posed for a photo in front of the museum’s Anakin and Obi-Wan display. In the image, the actress wears a shimmering red gown as she stands before a yellow airspeeder carrying figures of the two Jedi. The shot quickly caught the attention of ‘Star Wars’ fans online.

The gala took place on Sept. 19, ahead of the public opening on Sept. 22. Event co-chairs included Steven Spielberg, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo del Toro, Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton, and Queen Latifah took the stage to help welcome guests. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson introduced an immersive drone show that lit up the sky with ‘Star Wars’ imagery and artwork from the museum.

The guest list was enormous. Harrison Ford was seen embracing Lucas, Mark Hamill posed in front of a Luke Skywalker exhibition, and Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker on screen, was also present. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Christopher Nolan, Kim Kardashian and Alicia Keys were among the many other attendees, and the Black Eyed Peas performed later in the evening.

Vergara was among the celebrities who turned out alongside Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Tyler Perry. It was a night that mixed film royalty, musicians, athletes and fashion names in one room. That made a photo with a famous ‘Star Wars’ display feel especially fitting.

The display appears to be part of the museum’s inaugural Cinema installation, ‘Star Wars in Motion.’ The exhibition focuses on land vehicles from the first six films, including racers, transports and flying vessels. It runs from Luke’s Landspeeder in ‘A New Hope’ to the first physical build of General Grievous’s Wheel Bike in ‘Revenge of the Sith.’

Sofia Vergara stands with the Anakin and Obi-Wan display at The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art pic.twitter.com/PcB5cLUdrQ

— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) September 20, 2026

One review noted that two finned airspeeders from ‘Attack of the Clones’ appear tailgating each other, set against blurry freeze frames that suggest motion. The exhibition draws on the Lucas Archives, a collection of props, costumes and artwork donated in 2013 that forms the foundation of the museum. That helps explain why ‘Star Wars’ fans will find so much to see there.

Even so, the museum is not built solely around the galaxy far, far away. CNN reported that ‘Star Wars’ occupies only about 7% of the museum, and Gizmodo stressed that visitors hoping for nothing but ‘Star Wars’ are likely to be disappointed. The collection also includes work by Frida Kahlo and Norman Rockwell, along with comic art and photography.

Lucas and Hobson are betting that fans who come for the vehicles and Yoda and Grogu sculptures will stay for the rest. Visitors can expect to see more than 1,300 objects on display across the galleries. The museum’s timed-entry tickets are $25, according to Explore.

With the celebrity party over, the museum now turns to everyday visitors. The public opening on Sept. 22 will show whether audiences respond as enthusiastically as the guests did on opening night. For ‘Star Wars’ fans, the lure of seeing Anakin and Obi-Wan speeding through a display in person may be hard to resist.

If Vergara’s photo is any sign, the museum is already generating the kind of social media buzz that Lucas and Hobson likely hoped for. It has also given fans another reason to look forward to the anniversary of ‘Star Wars’ next year. For now, the Lucas Museum has proven that it can draw a crowd as wide as the stories it tells.

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