Mark Hamill has opened up about the personal backstory he envisioned for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, expanding on his initial criticisms of director Rian Johnson's creative direction.
The actor has long been vocal about his reservations regarding Luke's portrayal as a reclusive hermit when Rey encounters him in The Last Jedi. In the film, Skywalker blames himself for Ben Solo's turn to the Dark Side, leading to his self-imposed exile from the Jedi Order and refusal to join the Resistance when Rey seeks his help.
Nearly a decade after the film's release, Hamill has detailed his alternative narrative explaining Luke's withdrawal from galactic affairs.
During an interview on Bullseye with Jesse Thorn to promote The Life of Chuck, Hamill addressed his initial discomfort with Luke's characterization in The Last Jedi.
While praising Johnson as "one of the most gifted directors" he's worked with and calling The Last Jedi "a great movie," Hamill explained their creative differences regarding Luke's arc.
"I want to clarify that Rian Johnson is an incredible filmmaker - I love his work from Knives Out to Looper," Hamill said. "The final duel between Kylo Ren and my character was brilliantly staged, with subtle foreshadowing about my spectral presence. My public comments about Luke's motivation might have created the wrong impression about our collaboration."
Hamill revealed he struggled with Luke's apparent surrender after the destruction of his Jedi Academy: "I argued that witnessing entire planets destroyed should have strengthened Luke's resolve, not broken it. When Rian explained that Ben Solo slaughtering Luke's students caused his retreat, I proposed a darker personal tragedy to better justify his isolation."
This darker backstory involved Luke abandoning the Jedi for love, fathering a child, then suffering unimaginable loss when their toddler accidentally killed themselves with an unattended lightsaber - leading to the mother's suicide.
"This kind of personal devastation could realistically drive someone to abandon their faith," Hamill explained. "While I understood the film couldn't explore such an elaborate backstory, I needed my own motivation to portray this broken version of Luke truthfully."
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Hamill emphasized his professional commitment despite creative differences: "My job wasn't to rewrite the script but to make Rian's vision work as effectively as possible. Any suggestions about personal friction between us are completely unfounded."
The discussion comes after Hamill confirmed he won't reprise his role in future Star Wars projects, quipping: "You won't see me return as a naked Force ghost."
The Star Wars saga continues with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's upcoming Rey-centric film, set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, focusing on her efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order. The franchise will also expand with The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) and Shawn Levy's Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling (2027).
