Mark Hamill on the discarded tragic backstory for Luke Skywalker and why he is done with the 'Star Wars' character

Star Wars and The Life of Chuck actor Mark Hamill revealed in a new interview that he and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson once discussed a dark alternate backstory for Luke Skywalker — to provide a deeply emotional layer for the character.

While appearing on the Bullseye podcast, the actor, who appeared in the very first Star Wars trilogy conceived by George Lucas and the Rian Johnson-directed second entry in the sequel trilogy aside from a cameo in the first, The Force Awakens, said he thought of making the character give up his Jedi life to pursue ordinary human interests, like falling in love.

“I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi,” he said, adding, “Well, the love of a woman. So, he falls in love with a woman. He gives up being a Jedi. They have a child together. At some point, the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button, and is killed instantly. The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself.”

The actor also confirmed that there is no chance of his character ever returning, given the ending of The Last Jedi, where we witnessed the character's demise, with his soul integrating with the Force.

Hamill joked that "there’s no way" he is going to return as a "naked Force ghost." 

Expressing his gratitude to George Lucas for giving him his breakthrough role in the instantly sensational space opera, he recalls the filmmaker describing Star Wars as "the most expensive low-budget movie ever made," and that they “never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that."

"I had my time. I’m appreciative of that, but I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters,” opined the actor, who played a significant character in Mike Flanagan's latest film The Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston. It was based on Stephen King's novella of the same name.

Entertainment