Star Wars’ Kylo Ren/Ben Solo actor Adam Driver had the opportunity to have lunch with legendary Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill while filming Star Wars: The Last Jedi, so why on Earth would he turn that down? Driver became part of the Skywalker family tree in the sequel trilogy, instantly making him a key part of Star Wars movies and TV shows. In fact, he ended up being the very last of the Skywalker bloodline (even with Rey adopting the name, the bloodline stopped with him).

It makes sense, in light of that significance, that Mark Hamill would want to get together with Adam Driver and, presumably, vice versa. Even with the two on-screen family members now being so estranged, following Ben Solo’s destruction of Luke’s Jedi Temple and turn to the dark side, they would have had history together that needed to translate on screen. For this reason, Hamill even extended the lunch invitation to Driver—so why would Driver say no?

Mark Hamill Was Definitely Up For Lunch With Adam Driver

Hamill Saw The Benefit In Him And Driver Spending Some Time Together

To Hamill, meeting with Adam Driver meant that the two could better capture the dynamic Ben Solo/Kylo Ren and Luke had, both in terms of what was on screen and what came before. Per Vanity Fair, Hamill explained:

“He’s very moody and intense. I remember saying to Adam, ‘I don’t know how you work, or your technique. But, at some point, you were my nephew. I probably bounced you on my knee. I probably babysat for you. There’s that side, and now we’re both estranged from the Skywalker family. All I’m suggesting is, if you’d like, maybe we could go to lunch, we could get together and hang out.’”

As incredible as it is to imagine Mark Hamill asking another actor to “hang out,” Hamill was entirely right to suggest that such a meeting would only enhance their ability to represent Ben and Luke’s complex relationship in The Last Jedi.

Of course, even without that eventual meeting, Hamill and Driver managed to convey how painful this relationship became, both with Luke feeling guilt and grief over how everything had transpired and Kylo continuing to be filled with hate and rage because he felt betrayed by his uncle. It’s also rather funny to hear how similar Driver evidently was to his character, given he described him as “moody and intense.” Both have since spoken about it, though, especially Driver, who indicated that he at times gives off an energy unintentionally.

Sometimes, Good Things Just Aren’t Possible

Adam Driver Completely Understood What A Major Opportunity This Was

Although it might seem bewildering that Adam Driver wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to have lunch with Mark Hamill, Driver absolutely understood that this was an incredible offer from an iconic actor. When Adam Driver told this Mark Hamill story, he explained:

“It was literally a thing of scheduling. We met, he wanted to talk, and get together at some point to talk about our characters, and I was totally down. And then he kinda left, our schedules weren’t on the same page, it was just a matter of scheduling…I love Mark, I mean… my God, who turns down a dinner with Mark to talk about your character? That would be crazy.”

Apparently, Driver was plenty eager to make this lunch meeting work as well, but missing out on the opportunity was simply unavoidable.

This just goes to show that, for one, even when something is a brilliant idea that both parties want—and both parties are major stars—not everything is possible. More importantly, the actual true story behind this lunch invitation solidifies that these situations are often more nuanced than they’re conveyed to be. Although the narrative has long been that Adam Driver simply turned down this incredible invitation, the real reason these two Star Wars actors never got together while filming Star Wars: The Last Jedi came down to scheduling conflicts.