Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker is only seen briefly in J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," even though his character remained a central part of the storyline.
When he was first approached to reprise his role in the seventh installment of the franchise, Hamill initially did not know what to think or how to feel.
"It's funny - I had conflicting thoughts because, number one, I thought nobody lets a really potent property languish on the shelf when it's begging to be exploited, with the novels and the games and you name it. I mean, it's a huge canvas. But then I thought even if they go forward, they're not gonna use us. It'll be about the next generation, as it should be," he shared during an interview with the Rolling Stone. "It's not about getting the band together and hitting the road again."
Hamill said that producer George Lucas actually sat down with him and his onscreen sister Carrie Fisher (who plays Princess/General Leia) for lunch, and they thought that he was about to do another trilogy. Instead, Lucas' news that he would be selling "Star Wars" to Disney came as a huge shock to them.
Lucas told them: "Well, I don't know what you know but I've decided to sell the company, Kathleen Kennedy's gonna take over and they're gonna wanna be doing another trilogy. And if you don't wanna be in it, you don't have to be. We're not gonna recast; we just write your characters out." Within 30, 40 seconds, Carrie goes, 'I'm in!'"
Even though he was in a complete state of shock, Hamill tried to maintain a good poker face. But now, he is sharing what went through his mind back then.
"We're all in a great place and we've all done it before, there was a beginning, a middle and end. You have to think about all the aspects of it 'cause, you know, if you wanna maintain a low profile, this isn't the best way to do it," he reflected.
He and Fisher also thought that Han Solo actor Harrison Ford would not go back to reprise his role, but in the end, Ford ended up surprising them too.
"To me, there's no way to overestimate his contribution to the success of those movies - because the idea of the Force and this clueless farm boy who's uneducated, it's too bland," he said. "When Han Solo is cynical, it takes away that weapon from all the cynics in the audience and allows them to enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed."
