Mark Hamill Shares the One Line He’s Grateful Was Cut from Star Wars After His Screen Test: ‘I’ve Never Forgotten It’

Mark Hamill recalls an early moment in his Star Wars journey that helped him figure out his approach to Luke Skywalker.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor, 73, was asked if there was ever a line he liked that ended up being cut from one of the films. Instead, Hamill offered the opposite — a line he was happy to see cut.

“There was a line in the screen test — thank God it was cut, and I’ve never forgotten it. I can do it for you right now. We’re in the Millennium Falcon, no Wookie. It’s just me and Han Solo. He says, when he gets toward the Death Star, ‘OK, that’s enough for me. We’re turning around. I’ve held up my side of the bargain,’ ” Hamill recalled.

“Then I say, ‘But we can’t turn back. Fear is their greatest defense. I doubt if the actual security there is any greater than it was on Aquilea or Sullust. And what there is is most likely directed toward a large-scale assault,’ ” the star continued.

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Hamill remembered thinking to himself, “Who talks like this?”

“Now, I could break it down for you and diagram it. As a sentence, it makes sense. But to make it sound like it’s an original thought that just occurred to you and deliver it in a spontaneous way is really, really hard,” he explained.

“Now, like I say, George Lucas is not an actor’s director in the sense that he doesn’t want to hear about backstory or motivation or all that. He cast actors who are so close to what he wants that he’s not going to have to do a lot of that, Hamill continued.

“Harrison is endlessly laid-back and cool the minute he walks in the room. The only decision I made — that turned out to be the right one — is I’m going to do this as sincerely as I can,” the star added.

Hamill also discussed the unique return of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian, where technology allowed him to play a de-aged version of the character.

“The reason I did Mandalorian was that Luke had a beginning and an end. There was no middle. It was like making a trilogy about James Bond as a young boy who first became aware of the Secret Service and wanted to be a part of it. Part two was him training to be an agent. Part three is earning his license to kill — The End. No From Russia With Love, Dr. No or Goldfinger,” he explained.

“You never got to see Luke as a Master Jedi at the peak of his powers,” Hamill noted. “He was the most idealistic character in that series. He was someone who would take adversity and double down and come back and counter his setbacks. We didn’t see any of that. So when I got the chance, I thought, ‘Geez, this is wonderful.’ ”

The actor applauded Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni for their work on the series, adding, “Boy, do they get Star Wars. They get it. They’re speaking the same language that George did in a way that I questioned in the sequels.”