Mark Hamill Reveals The Star Wars Material He’s Glad Didn’t Make It Into The OG Film: ‘I’ve Never Forgotten It’

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Nearly 50 years ago, George Lucas’ Star Wars premiered, becoming a landmark moment for both science fiction and popular culture. Although the 1977 film is still widely loved, the path to its success wasn’t always smooth. Mark Hamill, best known as Luke Skywalker, remembers the early stages of development well. In fact, the veteran actor can still recall some scenes that were originally planned but ultimately cut, and he feels that was a good decision.

Mark Hamill often reminisces about his early days filming the original Star Wars movie, now called Episode IV – A New Hope. He vividly remembers his first audition and even meeting Harrison Ford, who would later play Han Solo, on that same day. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hamill recalled details about the audition, specifically a scene between Luke and Han that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film.

During the screen test, there was a line of dialogue that, thankfully, they ended up cutting – I still remember it vividly. I can actually recite it now. The scene takes place on the Millennium Falcon, just Han Solo and me. As we approach the Death Star, Han says, ‘That’s it, I’ve done my part, we’re turning around.’ And my character responds, ‘We can’t go back. Fear is what they rely on. The security there probably isn’t any stronger than it was on Aquilea or Sullust, and it’s likely prepared for a large attack.’ I remember thinking at the time, ‘Who would actually say something like that?’

I’m a big George Lucas fan, but I can easily admit that some of the dialogue in A New Hope was pretty awkward and should have been cut. Even so, the film still has lines that sound a little silly, even for a space opera. But honestly, none of those lines are as bad as the conversation Mark Hamill talked about, and he had more to say on the subject.

I get why this is tricky! It’s one thing to understand a sentence logically, and another entirely to deliver it like it just popped into your head. It sounds simple, but actually making it feel natural and spontaneous? That’s a real challenge.

George Lucas’s writing, especially in the Star Wars prequels, has often been debated. Lucas admitted some lines are intentionally a bit cheesy, aiming to recreate the style of dialogue from old westerns and adventure serials. Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker, is one of many who support Lucas’s writing and directing approach. Mark Hamill also offered insight into how Lucas identifies talented performers.

George Lucas doesn’t really focus on an actor’s history or reasons behind their character – he casts people who naturally fit the role. Harrison Ford, for example, was effortlessly cool and relaxed from the start. My only real decision was to approach the work with complete honesty, and that turned out to be the right approach.

More on Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill actually went to a movie theater to watch the original Star Wars when it was released. What I didn’t expect was to hear what his wife thought of it!

It’s always fun to hear stories from Mark Hamill, especially considering he didn’t initially know he was the main character in Star Wars. While there were some challenges creatively at first, things ultimately worked out great. The franchise has become incredibly popular over the years, leading to Hamill revisiting the role of Luke Skywalker several times. However, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be appearing in the new movie focused on Rey.

Thinking about the original Star Wars movie now, it’s probably a good thing some lines were cut. While not every line that made it into the film is perfect, they all helped create one of the most important movies ever made. Fans can watch A New Hope and all the other films in the Skywalker Saga with a Disney+ subscription.

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2025-12-25 23:39