Now We're Just Lukewarm Fans

2015 Comic-con: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford  (ew.com photo)

Of the three leads in the Star Wars original trilogy, Mark Hamill is perhaps the least well known. In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone, his perceptive observations suggest that he should be interviewed more often. Excerpts:

I call 'em UPFs: the Ultra Passionate Fan. 'Cause there's fans who like the movie and, go, "It was well done and I enjoyed myself. Now I wanna see the James Bond" — and then there are the UPFs. It's changed their lives: "I got into movies because of this," or "I met my wife online [because of Star Wars]"....And I understand obsessive-compulsive entertainment impulses. I have many, many, many, many of them.


On Harrison Ford playing Han Solo again: "Why wouldn't he? I mean, that's sort of like the archetype of the modern, cynical, skeptical leading man. To me, there's no way to overestimate his contribution to the success of those movies – because the idea of the Force and this clueless farm boy who's uneducated, it's too bland. You need a little spice, a little abrasiveness ... somebody who's only in it for the money. When Han Solo is cynical, it takes away that weapon from all the cynics in the audience and allows them to enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed."

On the disappointment of ending the tale just when Luke had become a Jedi: "I made the analogy it's like telling the story of how James Bond got his license to kill and then ending the story there. Because I just got to be what I wanted to be — and that's the end of the story? So yeah, there's that."

I'll tell you another thing you should never say in front of a crowd of Star Wars fans – which I heard from George first on the set. The phrase that I used in front of like 5000 fans pumped to the gills, ready to see the trailer was, "It's only a movie."

"I'm on the 'If it tastes good, don't eat it' diet." I mean, my trainer said you pick a day and you can cheat. And I don't like that; it just doesn't seem right. I was raised in such a strict upbringing. My father was in the military, he's staunch Roman Catholic, Nixon Republican ... you can picture it.

We stood in line for Star Wars on the day after it opened at the Coronet in 1977. For The Force Awakens we're waiting until after the New Year, when the crowds have died down. In 38 years, just like Luke Skywalker, we've changed a bit.