Star Wars Star Mark Hamill Believes Luke Skywalker Is No Longer Necessary
When Mark Hamill walked into his audition for the part of Luke Skywalker in the unknown quantity that was George Lucas' "Star Wars," he was just some fresh-faced twenty-something who'd popped up in television comedies like "The Partridge Family," "Room 222," and "One Day at a Time" (where he landed the one-episode-and-done role of handyman Schneider's son). He was a sun-kissed California kid with a boyish pluck, but this was an all-too-common type in Hollywood. Sure, he was ideal casting for lots of characters, but so was half of the casting pool. If Hamill was going to stand out from his peers, the right role had to come to him, not the other way around.
So it was Hamill's good fortune to beat out William Katt (who'd later achieve TV immortality as "The Greatest American Hero") for the lead in what would soon be a one-of-a-kind big screen phenomenon. By the end of 1977, Hamill was the star of the highest grossing movie ever made and the envy of every kid on the planet. But the film was so successful and instantly beloved that Hamill seemed inseparable from Luke. Would anyone want to see the guy who saved the galaxy play Hamlet?
Hamill and the other two principals from "Star Wars," Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, obviously went on to have long careers in Hollywood. Hamill's post-Skywalker work has largely consisted of voice acting, most memorably as The Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series" and its spinoffs. But when it comes to live-action, he has struggled to break free of Luke. So Hamill, at the age of 71, has decided to sever the umbilical himself.
A hero's journey that has reached its proper conclusion
Mark Hamill's desire to move past Luke was certainly helped along by Rian Johnson, who wrote a curmudgeonly, yet touchingly poetic terminus for the Tatooine-born protagonist in "Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi." Luke ultimately sacrifices his corporeal form à la Obi-Wan Kenobi — although, in doing so, he teaches his one-time pupil, Kylo Ren, and new pupil Rey, decidedly different lessons.
Of course, death is not the end for the Jedi in the "Star Wars" universe. Obi-Wan turned up as a Force ghost in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," Yoda did likewise in "Return of the Jedi" and "The Last Jedi," and Luke made a spectral visit in the misbegotten "The Rise of Skywalker." Hamill has also contributed a couple of de-aged cameos in "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Fett," but this is probably the last we've seen of Luke.
As Hamill told CBS Sunday Morning:
"Well, you never say never, but I just don't see any reason to. Let me put it that way: I mean, they have so many stories to tell, they don't need Luke anymore. I had my time, and that's good. But that's enough."
Let Luke vanish into the sunset
This echoes Mark Hamill's previous comments on the subject to Esquire, where he said:
"When I read 'The Last Jedi's' script, I said, 'Ok, well, that's it for me.' And you start that process of disengaging from something that's been a part of your life."
He then added:
"People say, 'Oh, now you're going to be able to do a whole series of Luke post-'Return of the Jedi.' I said, 'I don't think so.' First of all, they don't need to tell those stories, but if they do, they could get an age-appropriate actor."
This is reassuring. The further "Star Wars" gets away from the Skywalker Saga, the better. But knowing that there's a Rey movie in the works, where she sets about establishing the New Jedi Order, it's hard not to see director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and the other creatives involved with the film (along with any potential sequels) reaching out to Hamill for a bit of Force ghost mentoring. If these movies are made with more forethought than J.J. Abrams brought to "The Rise of Skywalker," a Luke return would be fine. But I'd really like to see Rey realize she is not a Skywalker by blood, which would allow "Star Wars" to close out this exhausted arc once and for all. Let Rey be Rey so that this saga may continue to grow.