Mark Hamill recently shared a personal memory of Carrie Fisher that reminded him just how much Star Warsshaped his career. Speaking on NPR’s Fresh Air, Hamill recalled how Fisher once called him out for downplaying his connection to the legendary franchise in 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.’”
That moment stuck with Hamill, who admitted it helped shift his perspective.
“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,” he added.
Hamill, Fisher, and Harrison Ford became pop culture icons as the trio of leads in the original Star Wars trilogy. Since the series wrapped up in 1983, the franchise has become one of the most influential and successful in cinematic history.
Although Hamill says he cherishes his time in the galaxy far, far away, he’s made it clear he has no plans to return as 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,’” Hamill 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.”