Star Wars: Mark Hamill speaks out on ‘brave’ Luke Skywalker ahead of Episode 9 return

Luke Skywalker is one of the most popular movie protagonists of all time, having helped to bring down the forces of evil in the original Star Wars trilogy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Luke returned briefly in the new sequel trilogy, and passed away in the 2017 smash The Last Jedi. But Luke will always be a “brave” hero for millions; something Hamill is well aware of.

Last night the star responded to a fan tweet, which read: “@HamillHimself I’m a teacher and at lunch time I was overjoyed to hear children playing Star Wars outside my window.

“One boy wanted to be Luke Skywalker because he was the bravest. How does it feel to be a role model to so many children round the world? #starwars #RoleModel.”

He replied: “It’s an awesome responsibility I don’t take lightly.

“Thankfully, Luke is the role model-not me.

“It’s wonderful George Lucas created a character so optimistic, is devoted to positive values & acts selflessly for the good of others.

“Kids need role-models in these challenging times.”

Luke’s character arc in 2017’s The Last Jedi – which saw Rey (Daisy Ridley) desperately trying to convince him to rejoin the Resistance – was a sticky point for many, including (initially, at least) Hamill himself.

He recently reflected: “The thing is, Luke changed so much between the first trilogy and the last trilogy. I got myself into trouble.

“I made a vow – I said that I’m not going to talk about the movies anymore, because I think it’s important for the audience to see them.

“My problem was, I wasn’t dealing with social media back then, where you say something and it goes around the world in 24 hours! If I were to answer your questions on paper, I’d think: oh, that sounds a little strong, or, I shouldn’t say this. But I have a tendency just to talk and talk and talk, and you can cherrypick.

“You know, I’ll be reading something, and say, ‘What moron said this?’, and then realise, ‘Oh, it’s me.’ They can take selective comments you’ve made out of context and use it to support their argument: ‘See, Mark hated Star Wars!’ ‘Did I?’”

Hamill is due to return briefly in the upcoming Episode 9, presumably as a Force Ghost.

Star Wars: Episode 9 is out on December 19 in the UK.