Mark Hamill Was "Insulted" With The Way Luke Was Depicted in THE LAST JEDI
Mark Hamill is best known for his role as Luke Skywalker and is arguably the most popular character from the entire Star Wars saga. But in a new interview with the New York Times Hamill reveals that while he tried not to debate with the filmmakers over the franchise's bigger decisions, he didn't hesitate to argue about the portrayal of the self-exiled Jedi Master as seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
“That’s the hard part. You don’t want to admit how possessive you’ve become. There are times where you go, ‘Really? That’s what they think of Luke? I’m not only in disagreement – I’m insulted.’ But that’s the process and you thrash it all out.”
Hamill made his return to the iconic role on the big screen in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where he appeared only briefly in the final moments of the movie, with Hamill not even speaking a single word.
Hamill, who told the Times he's "more prominent in this one," will get more of a focus this time around thanks to writer and director Rian Johnson, who took over duties from J.J. Abrams. Johnson said:
“I told him, everyone is going to be leaning forward for your first words in this. Obviously, Mark came into this one with higher expectations for what we do with the character.”
Hamill made headlines months ago when he "fundamentally disagreed" with the direction Johnson took with Luke in The Last Jedi.
The actor isn't upset about his diminished role in The Force Awakens, saying "it's not about us anymore," talking about the Original Trilogy's trio of Luke, Han (Harrison Ford) and Leia (Carrie Fisher). Even with The Last Jedi putting more of a focus on Luke — the grizzled Jedi appears a lot in all of the trailers, posters and even theater displays — Hamill said the movie isn't about Luke.
"In this new one, I was saying to Rian Johnson: I need to know my backstory. It was kind of unclear. You read where he is now and what he's doing now and sort of have to fill in the blanks for yourself. So I did do a backstory myself. It's not about Luke anymore, so it's not really important. But I had to make sense of it for myself."
Rey will continue to be the focus in The Last Jedi, who has sought out the legendary Skywalker to figure out her place in the troubled galaxy and get some Jedi training along the way.
Luckily we're only a few weeks away from finally seeing how Luke will fit into the new storyline. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens December 15.