**SPOILERS AHEAD**
The nerdstorm around “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is still going strong, with Rian Johnson upending and pushing forward some of the very foundations of the franchise. Perhaps one of the biggest shocks for fans who have long hero worshipped Luke Skywalker, is how flawed and uncertain he is in this film. The Jedi, living in self-exile, is in denial about the role he played in turning Kylo Ren to the Dark Side. For the majority of the film, Luke refuses to rejoin the Resistance as they battle the First Order. Then, Johnson delivers the cruelest cut, killing off the franchise anchor, after he does one final heroic deed, and faces off against his former mentee.
These developments were jarring, not just for fans who took for granted that Luke would return as an undeniable hero to the series, but even to Mark Hamill himself. The actor has long made it clear he initially did not see eye to eye with Johnson about Luke’s journey, and even with the film receiving strong reviews, his uncertainty remains.
READ MORE: George Lucas’ Scrapped Idea For A New ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Revealed
“I said to Rian, ‘Jedis don’t give up.’ I mean, even if [Luke] had a problem, he would maybe take a year to try and regroup, but if he made a mistake, he would try to right that wrong, so right there, we had a fundamental difference,” Hamill explained in an interview. “But it’s not my story anymore, it’s somebody else’s story and Rian needed me to be a certain way to make the ending effective. That’s the crux of my problem. Luke would never say that. I’m sorry.”
However, Hamill carries on his point, noting that perhaps his thinking is rooted in the way George Lucas would’ve done things. Thus, he had to put himself in a different headspace to approach this iteration of Luke Skywalker.
“Well, in this version … see, I’m talking about the George Lucas ‘Star Wars,’ this is the next generation of ‘Star Wars,’ ” Hamill added. “I almost had to think of Luke as another character. Maybe he’s ‘Jake Skywalker,’ he’s not my Luke Skywalker. But I had to do what Rian wanted me to do because it serves the story well. Listen, I still haven’t accepted it completely, but, it’s only a movie. I hope people like it. I hope they don’t get upset. I came to really believe that Rian was the exact man they needed for this job.”
Perhaps it’s comforting for those who all still processing how the series has changed after “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” that Hamill is still grappling with it too. Thoughts? Let us know in the comments section. [via Comic Book]
