Mark Hamill has revealed his first reaction to George Lucas’Star Warsscript. It’s hard for modern viewers to believe, butStar Warswas originally seen as something of a gamble for Fox. Nobody was quite sure what to make of George Lucas' strange story, which Mark Hamill described asa fairy-tale pretending to be science-fiction.
Speaking on theiHeartpodcast, Mark Hamill has revealed his own reaction when he was given dialogue for the audition. It wasn’t exactly complementary, and led him to turn to ask Harrison Ford - who he was auditioning alongside - whether this was for real.
“I read the one scene and you couldn’t make heads or tails out of it. I said to Harrison, who I tested with, I said ‘You were in American Graffiti. You know, George, is this like a comedy or a send up, like a spoof or…it just it can’t be serious, right?’ He said, ‘Hey, you know whatever, let’s just get it done.’ There’s no help, no help at all. I said to George,‘Is this sort of like a parody? Is it like a send up?’
‘Well, let’s just do it and we’ll talk about it later,’ which translates to let’s just do it and we’ll never talk about it.”
It’s easy to understand why Hamill was so uncertain. There had never been anything quite likeStar Wars; although Lucas lifted a lot of ideas from sci-fi franchises likeFlash GordonandDune, everything was tied together in such a unique way.
Mark Hamill Was Won Over By Star Wars
He became a believer
Appropriately enough, though, Hamill would become one ofStar Wars' greatest champions. In the same interview, he recalls later conversations with the production team in whichHamill was convincedStar Warswould be a hit. The main reason was simple; he sensed this was the kind of story he’d love to watch himself, andhe knew the budget was modest.Star Warsdidn’t need to do particularly well to recoup its budget, even by 1977 standards.
Even Hamill surely never imagined that this would become his definitive, iconic role. He’d still be playing the part of Luke Skywalker nearly 50 years later, whether in movies, TV shows, or voicing the character inLEGOspecials. Far from a parody, this redefined the whole genre of science-fiction and fantasy.
Our Take On Star Wars' Legacy
There will never be anything quite so influential as Star Wars
This is the thing about making something that is truly iconic; there’s nothing quite like it, so you have no idea what you’re dealing with.Star Warsbroke so many of the “rules” of the day, and in so doing reshaped the entire genre. It’s impossible to imagine what science-fiction and fantasy would be withoutStar Wars.
This does raise an intriguing question; what is theStar Warsof today? What movie of the present day, so strange and unconventional it looks like a parody, will actually redefine cinema? Only time will tell - but Hamill’s reaction toStar Warsproves it could even catch the stars by surprise.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
