In a recent interview about his small cameo in the opening scene of ‘Kingsman,’ Mark Hamill opened up on his feelings regarding ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ and the fan excitement surrounding the film, essentially saying that people need to relax.
“Oh, my God! It’s just crazy town. First of all, the security. We had problems before with people leaking stuff, but I was saying to them, “Is it really necessary to put on this giant robe with a hood that hangs down to your chest to go from my trailer to the soundstage?” They said, “Drones.” I said, “You’re kidding! Really?”… I wish people would just relax. We’re not trying to play games with people. We just want to maximize their experience at the movies where it should be seen and not have it leaked over the Internet. Believe me, it will be here before you know it. Forget about it, that’s my advice. Look forward to all the summer movies. I’m telling you, it’s just a movie. These people that build it up in their minds like it’s going to be the second coming of, I don’t know what — they’re bound to be disappointed.”
The man has a point. The prequels weren’t great, but the fan disappointment in the films was even worse considering all the hype and anticipation surrounding the movies. RARELY can a film ever live up to inordinate amounts of hype, and even if J.J. Abrams delivers a phenomenal ‘Star Wars’ movie, there will still be plenty who were expecting more.
As for Hamill, he goes on to talk about his own experience with the fans, and his own hope that people recognize that the new films are about the new generation, and that he, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford are in the film only to pass on the torch:
“Occasionally you’ll meet fans that feel the way I did when I met George Harrison. You just feel like if you open your mouth you’re going to lose it. You’re re-reminded of the impact that it had on some people. It had a beginning, a middle and an end for me. It was nice, but it was over. I didn’t have a problem with the prequels because it was like they’re playing with my toys but I’m not in the rec room anymore. I’ve moved out of the house. I didn’t feel possessive of it in any way, shape or form. The same when they were planning this third set of stories. I would have been completely OK with it not including us, but I do think having the original cast members there gives it a sense of continuity and scope. But mind you, it’s really about the new generation, it’s not about us.”
Not a lot of new information from Hamill regarding the film, but some sage advice about patience and not expecting ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ to be a life-changing experience, which is good to hear. Sometimes it did feel like the Lucas prequels played on that fan excitement a little too much, indulging people with dreams of the movies being way bigger/ better than they actually were, and its nice to see the new film not yet going to that dark side.
Sources: LATimes.com, HollywoodReporter
