Star Wars Celebration: Mark Hamill Isn’t A Fan Of Production Secrecy Either
“Star Wars” fans, Luke Skywalker is on your side. This year’s annual Star Wars Celebration kicked off on Friday morning in London with a fan favorite event — “An Hour With Mark Hamill,” an experience that is exactly as advertised — with an eager Luke Skywalker taking to the main stage to chat with fans and answer questions for a solid sixty minutes.
Hamill opened the event with something of a disclaimer: He is “contractually forbidden” to say anything at all about Rian Johnson’s upcoming “Episode VIII.”
“It’s funny, isn’t it? It’s funny, ’cause you spent all this money and I can’t talk about it,” he laughed, clearly sympathetic to what appeared to be an understanding crowd.
READ MORE: ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’: Rian Johnson & John Boyega Share New Photos From The Set
Spoilers may not have ruled at the panel — one that warmed up with a handful of audience members sharing their favorite untrue “Force Awakens” rumors, from persistent chatter that Jar Jar Binks would reappear to the oft-shared story that the film would open with a shot of Luke’s disembodied hand — but Hamill himself smarted at his inability to share juicy details and made it clear that he’s not exactly a fan of all the secrecy and security that surrounds the franchise. After all, even he’s not always in the loop.
When Hamill was asked by a fan if he enjoys the secrecy of “Star Wars,” the actor didn’t hold back.
“It can be really annoying and intrusive. You get call sheets, there’s no names! Everybody’s got a number!” he laughed.
Still, he understands the functionality and importance of the process. “They’re not doing it to annoy you, it’s just that they want the surprise to be in the movie theaters, not on the internet,” Hamill said. “You don’t want to know what you’re getting for your birthday!”
He added, “I understand why they’re doing it, but it can get really out of control with the pages that get shredded every day. I need old school, I need a script I can write on. They let me have one scene [on paper] and I keep it on my person, because you get really paranoid.”
Hamill thinks it will be all worth it, however. “It’s for your viewing pleasure that we do this,” he promised.
“Star Wars: Episode VIII” will open on December 25, 2017.
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