Carrie Fisher helped Mark Hamill embrace his Star Wars legacy and newfound level of fame. When the original Star Wars movie was released in 1977, the lives of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford were changed forever. Almost overnight, they became Hollywood sensations, as George Lucas’ space opera kick-started a new era of genre storytelling in Hollywood and became a worldwide sensation.

As Star Wars’ leading yet inexperienced protagonist, it’s perhaps no surprise that audiences found it difficult to separate Hamill’s idenтιтy as an actor from his role as farm-boy-turned-rebel-hero Luke Skywalker. That level of recognition affected Hamill for some time, as he also wanted to focus on other pursuits, like theater work. During a recent interview with NPR’s Fresh Air (via Variety), he recalled how, when he was starring in a Broadway show, the production’s playbill avoided directly mentioning his involvement with Star Wars.

“[Carrie Fisher] came to see a Broadway show of mine,” Hamill said. “And 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.’”

The late Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Leia Organa in Star Wars for years alongside Hamill, came to support her co-star during his show. She noticed the playbill’s omission and took it upon herself to change Hamill’s outlook on his new role in Star Wars and popular culture.

‘What’s the deal? How come you don’t mention Star Wars?’ 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.’”

“And I kind of saw what she meant, you know, because you say to yourself, ‘What territory do I occupy that no one else does?’ So she was someone that sort of put it in perspective for me.”

Thankfully, what Fisher said resonated with Hamill, so much so that he remembers that moment, decades later.

Star Wars Changed Cinema Forever

It’s completely understandable if Hamill was originally overwhelmed by Star Wars’ unpredictable success. Numerous studio executives had pᴀssed on George Lucas’ original pitch, and Lucas and his crew were experimenting with new technologies and visual effects that had never been done before. There was no guarantee Star Wars would find a willing audience, but find a willing audience, it did.

Later, The Empire Strikes Back arguably became an even bigger sensation, a film widely hailed as one of the greatest movie sequels ever made. Star Wars proved the value of original filmmaking and the desire for more fantastical stories, and changed the special effects industry forever. It was undeniably one of the most influential movie trilogies of the 20th century, and Mark Hamill was at the center of it all.

Our Take On Mark Hamill’s Star Wars Legacy

One of the reasons audiences connected with Star Wars was because of Mark Hamill’s portrayal of Luke. Luke Skywalker was an everyman, a young boy with ambitions and a heart of gold who went on a grand, space-faring adventure. He was the kind of character you wanted to be, a character you wanted to meet, and as Luke developed from a naïve dreamer into a full-fledged Jedi Knight, Hamill’s performance evolved too. It became more refined, emotional, and powerful – just like Luke.

The audience’s love of Luke Skywalker is as strong as ever. The reaction to his storyline in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and his subsequent death was, and still is, emotionally charged, and the joy felt by fans during Luke’s brief cameo in The Mandalorian season 2 was overwhelming. Both Luke Skywalker and Mark Hamill mean a lot to people.

Of course, Star Wars wouldn’t be complete without Luke’s friends. Harrison Ford’s lovable rogue and Carrie Fisher’s trailblazing princess were just as much a part of Star Wars’ success as Hamill’s Force-wielding hero. Fisher, especially, changed how female heroes functioned in Hollywood’s adventurous storytelling. As it turns out, Mark Hamill relied on Carrie Fisher just as much as Luke Skywalker relied on Leia Organa in Star Wars.

Source: NPR | Variety