Mark Hamill Talks About Being Done Playing Luke Skywalker, and His Feelings About THE MANDALORIAN
Mark Hamill is, was, and always will be our Luke Skywalker. After over four decades of evolving the character, he completed the story arc and is ready to hang up his lightsaber. Hamill looks back fondly on his run as a member of the Skywalker family, and even recently tweeted about his final film. But he’s not ready to walk away from the franchise in every capacity; he’s pretty excited to stick around as a fan and see where the films and series take us. In a recent interview with EW, Hamill was asked if he could imagine returning to his character if the situation was right, and he said:
"Oh, I can't imagine that, no. I had a beginning, middle, and end. Those films gave me far more than I ever expected when we started out so it's never even occurred to me. My farewell was in Episode IX and it was bittersweet. I love all those people and I certainly have affection for George and the character he created. I'm full of gratitude for what it has given me and my career but I don't want to be greedy. There are still so many more stories to tell and so many great actors to tell them, they don't need me."
He went on to talk about why he believes the Disney+ series The Mandalorian has an advantage over the films in the franchise, and why he such a fan:
"I think they have a wonderful advantage on The Mandalorian in that it's economical storytelling. They don't have the burden of delivering a gigantic special effects extravaganza like the films had to do," he explains. "It sort of gets back to the basics of George envisioning it as a western in space. It has that tone of a Sergio Leone Western. I'm very impressed with it and to me, a very smart move on their part because you can't keep trying to top...It's like the superhero movies that have to deliver these gargantuan epics. And with The Mandalorian, they can concentrate more on the characters and the storytelling. I think it's excellent."
I think Hamill has earned the right to step away, explore other projects, and enjoy the franchise from a fan’s point of view. His most recent role is a guest appearance on the series What We Do in the Shadows, which airs tonight on FX.