A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Mark Hamill wasn’t so forthcoming about his legacy in the Star Wars franchise.
During an appearance on NPR’s Fresh Air, The Life of Chuck actor recalled a time the late Carrie Fisher attended a Broadway show he was in and noticed that he didn’t have Star Wars listed in his Playbill biography. The actress, who played Princess Leia, encouraged Hamill to “embrace” his credit in the franchise as Luke Skywalker instead of shying away from it.
“In the Playbill, in my bio, I listed all my theater credits and at the end it said, ‘He’s also known for a series of popular space movies,’” he said. “And she goes, ‘What’s the deal? How come you didn’t mention Star Wars?’”
Hamill responded, “And I said, ‘Well, I want to show that I have a resume that includes extensive theater credits,’ and she said, ‘Hey, get over yourself. You’re Luke Skywalker, I’m Princess Leia. Embrace it.’”
The longtime Star Wars actor admitted that he “kind of saw what she meant” and that Fisher “was someone that sort of put it in perspective for me.”
Despite his extensive history with the franchise — and the recent cameos he’s made as Skywalker in projects such as The Mandalorian — Hamill ruled out a potential Star Wars return and said the filmmakers “should focus on the future and all the new characters.”
“I am so grateful to [creator George Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called Star Wars ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,’” said Hamill during an interview with ComicBook.com. “We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that. But I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”
