Veteran Star Wars actor Mark Hamill argued with filmmaker Rian Johnson about Luke Skywalker's arc in The Last Jedi during pre-production for the 2017 film.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Johnson went into detail about his disagreements with Hamill over Luke's journey in The Last Jedi. "I'm choosing my words carefully, not to be diplomatic, but I don't want to frame Mark's experience of this through my lens because there's no possible way I can ever put myself in the shoes of Mark, or Carrie [Fisher], having lived their entire lives being known as these characters," Johnson explained. "And what it's like to play them first in their twenties, and then to come back and play them in these movies and have a script handed to you saying, 'Well, it's this now'... I can never fathom what that experience is like. It's impossible."
Johnson continued, "If Mark Hamill is talking to me about Luke Skywalker, I'm gonna listen to him, and I gotta think about that and argue with him and go back and forth." He explained that he wanted to "genuinely plumb the depths of my soul and what I wrote and figure out if this seems right. Also, though, remembering that, obviously, he created the character on screen, but he's Mark Hamill, he's not literally Luke Skywalker. Luke Skywalker lives as a creation on that screen. He's a myth. And as such, he only really lives in the minds of people who listen to and in various ways believe that myth. And I know that was me. So, it's complicated."
Luke's Controversial End
In The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker is living as a hermit who has become disillusioned with the Force and the way of the Jedi. After regaining his hope over the course of the film, Luke dies and becomes one with the Force, much like his master Obi-Wan did in A New Hope. While Hamill's performance in the film was acclaimed, many fans strongly disagreed with the direction Johnson took with the character. Hamill publicly voiced his opinion on the matter shortly following the film's release, something he later came to regret. Johnson has said recently that his pride over The Last Jedi has only grown with time despite the film's many critics.
Following the release of The Last Jedi, Johnson went on to write and direct the 2019 murder-mystery film Knives Out. The film received critical acclaim and earned Johnson an Oscar nomination as well as two upcoming sequels to Knives Out. The director is also known for his films Brick and Looper, as well as his work directing Breaking Bad.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is available to stream on Disney+. Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will come to Netflix on Dec. 23, 2022.
Source: Empire