Mark Hamill Admits He Wasn’t Sure Which Character He Was Playing When He First Read the ‘Star Wars’ Script

The great Mark Hamill shared with Frank Oz in a 2018 interview at the 92nd Street Y in New York City the amusing story of how he got cast as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

He explained that when he received the script for The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, as taken from the Journal of the Whills. Saga No. 1: The Star Wars, he wasn’t quite sure what role he was supposed to be playing because he thought Harrison Ford was playing the lead.

Harrison was the leading man, you know; he was cool. He was like, you know, he was to me, oh, just the perfect leading man. And I was sort of the annoying sidekick, you know. …So when I read the title page, I went, “Oh, so Harrison is Luke Skywalker. I can’t remember what character I am.

It was only when Hamill saw Skywalker’s age that he realized that this was his role.

I get to the part where they describe Luke Skywalker, and they said, you know, he’s a teenager. Wait a second, Harrison’s a really good actor, but I don’t think he could be this. So, I called my agent. And I said, “Who am I playing again?” They said, “You’re Luke.”

The Full 2018 Interview With Frank Oz at the 92nd Street Y

Hamill and Ford’s 1976 ‘Star Wars’ Screen Test