Mark Hamill Only Returned to Star Wars Because Harrison Ford Did

“I was just really scared,” he said.

By Lucy O'Brien

Mark Hamill has revealed he only returned to the Star Wars universe because his co-star Harrison Ford did.

In an interview with the New York Times, Hamill described that he was initially very hesitant after he and Carrie Fisher were pitched the idea of returning by George Lucas.

"I was completely stunned," he told the publication. "Carrie, not a minute went by — she slapped the table and goes, ‘I’m in!’ I said, ‘Carrie, poker face!’”

“I was just really scared,” he said. “I thought, why mess with it? The idea of catching lightning in a bottle twice was ridiculously remote.”

He also worried that audiences would think he and his original trilogy co-stars would be too old and embarrassing for modern audiences. “No one wants to see the 50-, 60-, 70-year-old versions of us, running around, bumping heads on the Death Star, it’s sad.”

However he was sure that Ford would say no, because "he's too old and too rich and too cranky", which would have given him a buffer. “[Fords’s] not going to do this,” Hamill initially thought, which meant he wouldn't have to, either. However when Ford said yes, Hamill had to re-think things. “Can you imagine if I was the only one to say no? I’d be the most hated man in nerd-dom.”

Hamill will next appear in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which hits theaters December 15. While you wait, check out this potential spoiler on Rey's identity (or not if you hate spoilers),  what Andy Serkis had to say about the new trailer's tone, and learn how Lucasfilm determines what to spoil in their trailers.

Lucy O'Brien is Games & Entertainment Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. Follow her on Twitter.

Let's block ads! (Why?)