Washington: Hollywood veteran Mark Hamill, who will be next seen in Episode IX of ‘Star Wars’ franchise, revealed that he was left “traumatised” when he realised he was only in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ for a few minutes.
The 66-year-old actor almost spent two years practicing for his role and getting back in shape to play Luke Skywalker again in the hit sci-fi franchise.
In an interview with a leading UK publication, Hamill said that he was in a huge “state of shock” when he realised he only had a cameo for a few minutes at the end, when Daisy Ridley’s character Rey came face-to-face with him on a cliff edge.
He said, “I mean, it was a cliff edge. This was a cliffhanger, right? They should have stamped ‘To be continued’ on my forehead. I was in such a state of shock. I hate to seem to take it so seriously, but it was traumatising. My wife had gone to bed, and I woke her up, opened the last page and said, ‘Look!'”
Though Mark admitted the reveal of his character was a “neat trick”, he read his script for upcoming eighth movie ‘The Last Jedi’ from the final pages to ensure it wouldn’t be happening again.
The actor was particularly upset because he had been through ”torture” to lose weight for the return of the franchise, and claims he was far more committed than his co-star, the late Carrie Fisher.
Hamill noted, “I lost roughly 50lb in weight. It was torture. I never missed a session, not like some people — ahem, Carrie Fisher. I went to the gym, they went to her house. She’d had all this equipment installed. Sometimes they’d come and she’d say, ‘Oh, I forgot, it’s today. Not today.’ And she’d close the door. Only Carrie could get away with that.”
While Mark is best known for his ‘Star Wars’ role, he insists there’s only been once it’s proven to be a drawback in his career.
The eighth installment, ‘The Last Jedi’, in the epic sci-fi franchise ‘Star Wars’ will hit theatres on December 15.
Helmed by Rian Johnson, the film stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill”>Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Late Carrie Fisher, and Adam Driver in pivotal roles. (ANI)