At the Sundance Film Festival, Mark Hamill shared his feelings of doubt leading up to reprising his role as Luke Skywalker for the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
For the most part, it seems like returning to a franchise after thirty years is an immense undertaking. In addition to figuring out a decent story and gathering a team for production, legacy actors have to be approached. To return to the Star Wars franchise again, Lucasfilm had to call upon Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford. Apparently, all three knew about The Force Awakens beforehand, but didn’t expect to be involved.
According to Mark Hamill’s sit down with Vulture, he thought Lucasfilm should leave “well enough alone.”
Basically, Hamill admits that he would’ve avoided the franchise if it weren’t for Ford’s involvement. “He’s too rich and too cranky,” said Hamill, as he contemplated whether Ford would reprise his role as Han Solo. Then, he added, “But once he said in the press that he was doing it, I thought ‘well, I just got drafted.'” Though, Hamill also understood that Star Wars fans are serious. Which means, they’d channel Frankenstein probably, gather their lightsabers and march on Hamill’s porch until he agreed to reprise the role.
Plus, it’s worth noting that Luke Skywalker didn’t even appear until the very end of The Force Awakens. While The Last Jedi could make up for this, Hamill says his short cameo gave him the best of both worlds.
Watch the video below:
Most importantly, Mark Hamill felt frightened to disappoint the fans. Of course, this is a far cry from Kathleen Kennedy’s remarks that she doesn’t “owe” anything to men, but it’s important to understand what has sustained the franchise since it began in the ’70s. However, that’s probably what makes Mark Hamill such a cool guy. Plus, that’s why his portrayal of Luke Skywalker is so integral to the franchise.
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in theaters on Dec. 15.