Mark Hamill says Carrie Fisher once had to remind him where he came from.
During a recent interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Hamill remembered that Fisher encouraged him to “embrace” his “Star Wars” roots after Hamill omitted the credit from a Broadway playbill.
“[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.’ And she goes, ‘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.’”
He continued, “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.”
Along with Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Fisher and Hamill made up the leading trio of the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Since its conclusion in 1983, the epic space opera saga has gone on to spawn one of the most beloved and valuable movie franchises in the history of film.
Although he looks back on his time in a galaxy far, far away fondly, Hamill recently said he has no plans to return to the role of Luke Skywalker.
“I am so grateful to George [Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called ‘Star Wars’ ‘the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,’” he said. “We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I’m appreciative of that, but I think they should focus on the future and all the new characters.”