We’re still not saying that Luke Skywalker is going to be going to the Dark Side in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘ but Mark Hamill will be playing a darker take on our character and used present day politics to inspire him! Just as the New Order and Republic are at odds in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and beyond, it is pretty clear that the United States is divided as well these days. This split in society which hasn’t been greater in our lifetimes bled on page a bit as Hamill crafted his coming take on his most iconic performance.
We’ve already learned from Skywalker in the trailers that “This is not going to go the way you think” and that there is only “one truth: It’s time for the Jedi… to end.”
With such decisive statements, it took our own society to help Hamill prepare for the part:
“Well, I had to find what could have happened that would make the most hopeful, optimistic character wind up in this dark place. Now, I was eleven when the Beatles hit and they were the peace and love generation, and when I was in high school I said, I believed all that. I thought by the time we get in power they’ll be no more wars. We’ll end world famine. Hey baby, Love Is All You Need. And that, we failed! Basically, we failed, so even though this is a fantasy, you try and find something that you can relate to in life to be able to portray that element of the screenplay and so that’s what I was thinking of. Is the potential of the flower power generation and now the world is worse than it’s ever been. Thought Watergate was bad? That was just two parties. Now it’s a political entity with a hostile foreign government and that we’ve been in perpetual war. I thought, well at least after Vietnam will never get into another pointless war that will, with no clear objective. We’ve been in perpetual war for what seventeen, eighteen years now? This is why these movies are power so popular. Real life is so horrible. Harsh reality is so draining on the human psyche you need to go to a safe place like a galaxy far far away.”
One can easily see how that view could help create a more hardened and cynical Luke Skywalker as opposed to the eager eyed hero we last saw. It is unclear if this ties into the heartbreaking backstory of the character he also created, but it likely played into it.
Do you feel that politics is a great way to get into a bitter mood for acting? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Screen Rant
