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Mark Hamill Only Returned To 'Star Wars' Because Of Harrison Ford

Mark Hamill Only Returned To 'Star Wars' Because Of Harrison Ford

'Can you imagine if I was the only one to say no? I’d be the most hated man in nerd-dom'

James Dawson

James Dawson

Unless you've hiding under a rock, you'll have noticed that in recent years Star Wars has once again become a bit of a thing - a force to be reckoned with, if you will - thanks to the making of the third trilogy of films in the fabled space opera.

For many people, one of the best thing about it is that the sequels reunited the cast of the original trilogy. And it's not just the fans who think that.

Almost 40 years after the release of Episode IV - A New Hope, Mark Hamill had many doubts about reprising his role. In fact, according to a new interview in the New York Times, the Luke Skywalker actor was planning to turn the offer down, because he didn't think fans would want to see actors in their 60s and 70s running around with lightsabers.

Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope. Credit: Lucasfilm

"I was just really scared," he told the paper, remembering a 2012 meeting where George Lucas told both him and Carrie Fisher about plans for the new films. "I thought, why mess with it? The idea of catching lightening in a bottle twice was ridiculously remote."

However, Fisher - who sadly passed away in December 2016 - immediately jumped at the chance to play Princess Leia again. "Carrie, not a minute went by - she slapped the table and goes, 'I'm in!'" recalled Hamill.

Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford

Credit: PA

That meant Harrison Ford had to be Hamill's easy way out of the new movies. "He's too old and too rich and too cranky," he said of the actor, sure that Ford wouldn't want to play Han Solo again. But he was wrong. Ford signed up for the part, which meant Hamill had to sign up for his.

"Can you imagine if I was the only one to say no?" Hamill told the Times in the interview. "I'd be the most hated man in nerd-dom."

Credit: Lucasfilm / Walt Disney Pictures

It wasn't all smooth-sailing after that, though. Earlier this year Hamill told Vanity Fair that, initially, he had major disagreements with The Last Jedi director J.J. Abrams about, well, almost everything concerning Luke Skywalker's role in that movie.

At the end of the day, though, Hamill came round to the director's decisions and fully embraced what Abrams was trying to do. "I've never been more happy to be wrong," Hamill told the magazine. Likewise, Luke. Likewise.

Words: Mischa Pearlman

Featured Image Credit: Lucasfilm / Walt Disney Productions

Topics: Star Wars, TV and Film, UK Entertainment, US Entertainment, Mark Hamill