Mark Hamill just got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and about time, too!
How could the organization hope to keep its reputation as chronicling the biggest names in screen history without acknowledging Hamill’s iconic performance as ‘Cock Knocker’ in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back? And, of course, he did a couple of those Star Wars movies that I’ve heard people are into these days.
George Lucas and Harrison Ford both spoke at the unveiling ceremony and the latter took a moment to acknowledge the tragic death of Carrie Fisher in his speech:
“When thinking about today, I was really sorry that we don’t have the other member of our trio here to celebrate with us. But I feel her presence.”
It sounds like a touching moment, though Ford went on to lighten the mood by joking that “There’s a lot more people here than showed up for my star. A lot more.” He made sure to sing Hamill’s praises, too, saying:
“I prepared myself for this experience by going back and looking at the screen test that I did with Mark. And I was surprised, actually, how good he was. Not that, at the time, I felt that he wasn’t good, I thought he was great. He had just the right blend of youthfulness and enthusiasm.
I think, George said at the time, that in a movie that was full of space vehicles and cosmic ideology that he wanted somebody, he needed a protagonist, that was comfortable with those things and could be both comfortable and serious in a world made up of those elements, and Mark certainly achieved that. “
I’m totally with Ford on this. While it’s subsided a bit lately, I remember the days when people used to sniff at Hamill’s performance as Luke in the Original Trilogy. I’ve always thought that he did a great job though of taking the character from starry-eyed farmboy to Jedi Master over the course of three films, with his steely resolve in the final scenes of Return of the Jedi some of the finest acting in the entire franchise.
He proved he still had it with his fantastic reprise of the character in The Last Jedi as well, believably evolving Luke into a more rumpled, disillusioned and grumpy direction – before kicking a supreme amount of ass with his Force projection trick in the closing scenes. And, of course, he’s also responsible for the most iconic Joker performance in animation.
Ford concluded his speech by saying:
“Mark is a friend that I don’t see very often, our lives have diverged to a certain extent, but I am very pleased for him. He has been the master of his own experience, his own life, and he is, as he always was, a quiet, sincere, honest person. He’s not a grandstander and I think he has found comfort and utility and control of his destiny and I’m happy for you, pal.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is making its digital debut on March 13th, with the Blu-ray expected to land on March 27th. After that, next up for the Lucasfilm franchise is the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story on May 25th.