It is hard to imagine that anything about the originalStar Warscould have been better. The film’s cast have gone on to be the faces of the franchise, the franchise itself has continued to grow decade on decade, and theStar WarsSaga is one of the most profitable IPs in cinema history. However, that doesn’t mean actorMark Hamillis not willing to raise a few gripes about the role that would become one of the most memorable – and inescapable – of his career, including being annoyed withGeorge Lucasfor one major change he made to the character of Luke Skywalker.
Hamill appeared onThis Morningin the U.K. to promote, among other things,his upcoming Stephen King movie,The Long Walk. Naturally, though,Star Warsis always on the agenda, and it was while talking about his time working on the franchise that he revealed how he just “did not get” the movie when he was originally given his test lines. He said:
“The thing is, I didn’t get the whole script for the screen test. It was only eight pages. I thought, ‘Who talks like this?’ So I spoke to Harrison and you know what he said? ‘Hey kid, let’s just get it done.’ He was no help at all.”
Hamill then attempted to get a more detailed reaction from Lucas himself, but seemingly received a very similar response. He went on to explain how it was only when he received the full script that he realized he was actually playing the main character.
“I went to George. I said, ‘George this is sort of like a send up of Flash Gordon.’ He went, ‘Let’s just do it and talk about it later.’ Translation: let’s just do it and never talk about it later.
“When I was filming, Harrison, to me, was a leading man, I just assumed he was the lead character and I was his annoying sidekick. Then I get the movie, and Harrison must be Luke. He was called Luke Starkiller at that time. Then I started reading it and I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s from my point of view,’ which is really unusual to tell it through a teenager.”
Mark Hamill Hated George Lucas for Changing Luke Skywalker’s Name
Whilethe name Skywalker has become the heart of the Star Wars franchise, the name carrying much of the story could have actually been Starkiller. This is not news to anyone, but that doesn’t mean it has stopped irking Hamill, even after all these years. He said:
“We shot the scene, ‘I’m Luke Starkiller I’m here to rescue you.’ I came back the next week and said, ‘Why are we doing that scene again?’ They said, ‘Oh, they’ve changed your name.’ I said, ‘To what?’ They said, ‘To Skywalker.’ Let’s face it Luke could use a little macho-ing up. It sounded like Luke Flyswatter, I hated it.”
Of course, it is hard to imagine theStar Warsfranchise being the Starkiller Saga, so, perhaps Lucas did know exactly what he was doing. Either way, things have come a long way since 1977, and while Luke Skywalker’s role in the story may have ended now, his presence is still a big part of the franchise.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
