Carrie Fisher Urged Mark Hamill to Embrace Being Luke Skywalker in Star Wars!

Mark Hamill’s Efforts to Step Away from Luke Skywalker on Stage

Starring in The Life of Chuck, Mark Hamill has openly praised his on-screen sister, Princess Leia, also known as Carrie Fisher. Delighted to pay tribute to his late colleague who passed away in 2016, he recently shared an instance where Fisher gave him a piece of her mind. During an interview for the Fresh Air show, the actor who portrayed Luke Skywalker revealed that after his role in George Lucas’s prequel series, he tried his luck on Broadway without emphasizing his involvement in the iconic space saga.

A “Royal” Role That Was Hard to Own!

Since the early 1980s, Hamill was involved in major theatrical productions, like Amadeus (1981), before it was beautifully adapted by Milos Forman, and Elephant Man (1982-1983), before becoming a masterpiece by David Lynch. However, his status as a space opera superstar closed some doors in the theater world, forcing him to downplay his background: “in my biography, I listed all my theater roles and at the end, it mentioned: ‘He is also known for a series of popular science-fiction films’.”

This approach shocked Carrie Fisher: “She said, ‘What’s going on? Why didn’t you mention Star Wars?’ ” She then advised him with her well-known candor: “Come on, don’t take yourself too seriously. You’re Luke Skywalker, I’m Princess Leia. Own it.” This advice encouraged him to sporadically engage with the intergalactic universe, including appearances in the Mandalorian.

But now: “I am very thankful to George Lucas for allowing me to be part of this adventure. We never expected it to turn into a permanent franchise! (…) But I think they should focus on the future and new characters.” It is thus with pleasure that we see the actor, who also appeared in GOT, in the praised Life of Chuck.