Star Wars: Mark Hamill Originally Thought Han Solo Was the Lead

Mark Hamill did n’t always lie with that Luke Skywalker was the main character in George Lucas ' originalStar Warsfilm . Over the years , Hamill ’s sense of hearing tape for the function of Luke –along with Carrie Fisherand Harrison Ford ’s audition tapes for the theatrical role of Princess Leia and Han Solo , respectively – have emerged online , usher how short he knew about the character before croak into the role .

The thing is , Hollywood likes to maneuver under concealment , and that typically go around around the cast operation . When actors and actresses come in into read for a role , they are given the necessary information for their audition , but it ’s rarified for up - and - comer to be granted access to an intact script . That ’s why when Hamill give-up the ghost into read for the part of Luke Skywalker ( whose original cognomen was Starkiller ) , he had no idea who the character reference really was . In fact , he think Han Solo was the chief character in the write up .

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Hamill celebrated his 66th natal day today by participate in an interview withStarWars.com , discuss the past and future of his Star Wars life history as Luke Skywalker . In the audience , the actor break that he initially remember that he was going to be play Han Solo ’s sidekick ( having auditioned opposite Ford for the office of Starkiller ) ; he did n’t actually witness out he was the lead until he interpret the title of the hand , which was n’t provided to him until after he have the job .

" But when I at long last got the part and they said they were institutionalize the book over , I was living by myself in a one - bedroom on the beach in Malibu . It was before I was married . And I get the script and I sit down , and I ’ll never leave the chair I was sit down in , confront the ocean . I get to the title of respect Thomas Nelson Page and it says , ' The Adventures of Luke Starkiller , as Taken from the Journal of the Whills , Saga Number One : The Star Wars . ' And I cerebrate , ' hold back a second … ' Because when I screen , I figured Harrison ’s a lead valet . So I thought , ' I ’m playing his sidekick , good ? ' read it , I ’m going , ' Wait a second . Was n’t I read for Luke Starkiller ? This ca n’t be correct . ' Anyway , I begin reading it and you could imagine . I entail , ' A long clip ago in a galaxy far , far away . ' Then you record the crawl and you ’re right in the action . It ’s just such an economical example of storytelling . "

For those that may be wondering why the title of respect of the script Hamill was send is so long , that was the original title for the pic . However , among the many things that Lucas changed prior to the cinema hit theaters , he finally shortened the title to simplyStar war . Then , of course , prior to shootingThe Empire Strikes Back , Lucas renamed the first film toStar state of war : Episode IV – A New Hope , and thus began theStar Warssaga that continues to rage on to this 24-hour interval .

George Lucas with A New Hope imagery v3

Although he was n’t Han Solo ’s sidekick , Luke Skywalker has doubtlessly become one of the most iconic fictional lineament in cinema history , and Hamill still has one ( perhaps two ) motion picture more to go before he can even consider retiring the theatrical role for good .