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Mark Hamill on Star Wars: The Last Jedi – "He's Not My Luke Skywalker"

Published Fri, 22 Dec 2017 19:07:53 -0600

A lot of fans aren't exactly happy with the direction in which Rian Johnson decided to take Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It turns out one of the people that wasn't initially happy with the approach was Mark Hamill. In a YouTube interview, caught by the The Huffington Post but now removed, Hamill talks about some of the conflicts he had with Johnson concerning his character.

These could be considered MINOR SPOILERS, so you've been warned.

"He's not my Luke Skywalker," says Hamill. "I said to Rian, I said 'Jedis don't give up.' I mean, even if he had a problem, he would maybe take a year to try and regroup, but if he made a mistake he would try and right that wrong, so right there, we had a fundamental difference, but, it's not my story anymore. It's somebody else's story, and Rian needed me to be a certain way to make the ending effective."

While Hamill didn't agree with the decision entirely, he doesn't badmouth Johnson in any way. He, like fans, have a hard time seeing Luke as the broken man that is presented in the movie.

"I almost had to think of Luke as another character. Maybe he's Jake Skywalker, he's not my Luke Skywalker," says Hamill. "I still haven't accepted it completely, but it's only a movie," Hamill said. "I hope people like it. I hope they don't get upset. And I came to really believe that Rian was the exact man that they needed for this job."

Johnson was the right director in that he is a fan of the series, but he's not irreverent to it. He was willing to push things in uncomfortable directions, which is exactly what he did with the character of Luke Skywalker.

Summary: Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, and Adam Driver. It's out now.

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