We’ve all seen the first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ and now Mark Hamill is giving his two cents on the trailer. It’s a huge plus that one of the main points he focuses on is that not only is he isn’t in it but that none of the original cast is as well. Of course that isn’t the only thing he has to say about it here. My favorite part actually comes at the very end. Here’s what he had to say!
When he was asked if he had seen the trailer, the answer was almost surprising. He hadn’t seen it in advance, on set, in the studio, or at the theater but online like most of the rest of us who originally saw it:
“I have! You know, I watched it online. It’s funny: I have three children —Nathan, Griffin, and Chelsea, and my wife Mary Lou — and three of them went off to movie theaters to see it in a movie theater! [Laughs] I said, “You guys are such gigantic Star Wars nerds.” And you know, to tell you the truth, it probably would have been fun to see it in a theater with a packed audience. But the great thrill for me was watching the video of fans watching the trailer. Did you see that? Oh my god! I forget how happy this stuff makes a certain segment of our population. I mean, I really was moved to see these people that happy. It was wonderful. So for me, that was the most memorable thing about it — the reaction more than just the minute-and-a-half that it’s on the screen.”
More importantly, Hamill was asked why he wasn’t in the first trailer. Honestly, his answer makes sense as this is a tale about moving forward with the franchise and while the original cast is involved, it isn’t supposed to be about them and it shows here:
“Not really. This is about the new generation of characters; I think that’s the most important thing. It’s the opening act of a whole new approach to the storytelling. So I never thought that the stories would be – first of all, I never thought I’d be involved in it again, period. And then when George [Lucas] said that they wanted to do more, I rightly assumed that it wouldn’t be our story, because we had a beginning, a middle, and an end. This must be our offspring and the current generation, with us there lending the kind of support that Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness did in the original. So no, that didn’t surprise me. And I mean, I’m one of those people where I just think, “Keep me out of it. I’ll ruin it, I’m sure!” [Laughs] I’ll show up and just ruin the whole thing.”
Now I don’t think that a Luke Skywalker appearance would have ruined the trailer, but we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out. Of course, if we had seen a shot of him we would have also seen a shot of that great Jedi Beard! Speaking of the beard, Hamill didn’t seem to think too fondly of it:
“That is what I call my contractually obligated beard. Listen: I think they look fine on other people. It’s just not me. I mean, I never got used to it. But face foliage is almost a part of the costume. And it does bring a gravitas, perhaps unearned, but nevertheless, it makes a statement that they wanted to make, and I’m more than happy to oblige them.”
Of course he may have been the only person to doubt that Luke being in the trailer was a good thing…
“I don’t want that pressure! It’s too much pressure! You know, because I said to George, “Have you really thought this through? Because maybe it’s not such a great idea.” But I had a feeling, I said, “You know what – if there’s a weak link, if Carrie [Fisher] or Harrison [Ford] decides they don’t want to do it, there’s an out. Because it’s all or nothing. It should be all of us or none of us.” So I was ready to go either way. And now that we’re all in, we’ll see what happens.”
Part of why he made that statement was thinking that Ford wouldn’t make a comeback! Thankfully that has proven wrong and he isn’t just phoning in a performance but wants to make sure he’s back (most likely to shoot first this time):
“Well, you know, he was someone that was unpredictable. I hadn’t seen him in years; I didn’t know what his feelings were. I know he’s sometimes grown impatient with people that don’t want to focus on what he’s doing currently and want to go stroll down memory lane. God knows, I’m used to that sort of thing. But who knew? And for him to jump back in so enthusiastically, I was delighted. It’s a wonderful character. Everybody loves Han Solo.”
Hamill also talked about how the new droid was actual a practical effect. I mean, how is that a live prop and where do I get one? I assume it has some kind of a remote control and I’d love to be able to play around with it.
“[Laughs] I’m sure he loved the new little droid that’s a rolling ball. I’m sure he wants it under the tree this Christmas. They never cease to amaze me with what they’re able to come up with, you know? I said, “How are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?” And then they have this new one. I can’t even tell you his name, but you saw it in the trailer. And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set — because it’s not CGI, that’s a live prop — I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I’m telling you, it’s an absolute delight. And not having thought that I’d ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just – I get the chills. It’s just so much fun.”
I am super stoked that Abrams is keeping the early tradition of ‘Star Wars’ alive by making practical effects, especially ones as amazing as this one!
What are your thoughts on Hamill on the first trailer? Do you think Skywalker should have popped up or as this is to focus on the new generation are you glad that those were who ended up in the spotlight? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Yahoo News
