Entertainment

Mark Hamill recalls getting 'no' from 'Star Wars' director

Mark Hamill remembers a conversation with the director of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

By The News Digital
January 08, 2026
Mark Hamill recalls getting 'no' from 'Star Wars' director
  Mark Hamill reveals why he was desperate for original heroes reunion on 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Mark Hamill wanted a reunion of original heroes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, i.e., Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia.

But J.J. Abrams, the director behind the film, turned down the request of the actor who portrayed Luke Skywalker. However, the star says the filmmaker had a valid reason for doing this.

"I said, 'Aren't we going to have a moment where all 3 of us get together to raise the roof? It'll only take 30 seconds," Mark tells The Hollywood Reporter's latest Actor Roundtable. "And JJ said, 'Well, Mark, it's not Luke's story anymore."

Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker
Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker 

In the meantime, The Force Awakens, a seventh episode in the Star Wars saga, had two goals, Abrams previously told Wired. First, it set up a foundation for sequels, while second, it provided a complete story of its own.

"Working on this new movie has been as much about trying to set up elements of what is beyond what you're seeing as it has been about telling a story that will be satisfying in and of itself," he shared. "But it can't feel like a cop-out – like we're just setting things up and not resolving them."

All Star Wars content is available to stream on Disney+.